Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Thursday pardoned an Uber driver who shot and killed a gun-wielding Black Lives Matter(BLM) protester during a July 2020 riot.
U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry was convicted of murder in April 2023 despite the lead detective concluding the shooting was in self-defense and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Abbott vowed to pardon Perry after the conviction, and he announced his acceptance of a recommendation by the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles for a full pardon in a Thursday release.
“The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship,” Abbott said in the release. “Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial.”
Perry shot and killed 28-year-old Garrett Foster, who approached him with an AK-47-style rifle during July 2020 rioting in Austin, Texas. Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza criticized Abbott for announcing his intent to intervene in the case in an April 2023 release.
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Abbot said in the proclamation, seeming to reference Garza’s pursuit of charges against Perry. “I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.”
