Key takeaways:
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott is seeking to pardon a U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of murder in the 2020 fatal shooting of an armed protester.
- The sergeant had claimed to police that the protester had pointed a weapon at him, inspiring him to shoot in self-defense.
- Governor Abbott has asked the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend a pardon and expedite his request.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is seeking to pardon a U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of murder in the 2020 fatal shooting of an armed protester during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice.
On Friday, a Travis County jury convicted Sergeant Daniel Perry of fatally shooting 28-year-old Garrett Foster during a protest in Austin. Perry had claimed to police that Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, had pointed the weapon at him, inspiring him to shoot in self-defense.
Police said Perry, based at the time 70 miles north at Fort Hood, was driving in downtown Austin on the evening of July 25, 2020, when he encountered demonstrators in the street and came to a stop. Foster was legally carrying a semiautomatic rifle when he approached the intersection where protesters had gathered, police said, and was fatally shot by Perry, who stayed in the vehicle and used a handgun.
In response to the conviction, Governor Abbott tweeted that he is asking the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend a pardon and to expedite his request in order to pardon Sergeant Perry. “I look forward to approving the board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk,” Abbott wrote.
The case has sparked debate over the use of lethal force in self-defense and the right to bear arms. It is unclear when the Board of Pardons and Paroles will make a decision on the pardon request.
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