A jury in the leftist Texas enclave of Austin convicted Army Sgt. Daniel Perry of murder on Friday for shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter protester during rioting in the summer of 2020.
Perry, who was stationed at Fort Hood at the time of the shooting, was driving for Uber to make extra money in downtown Austin on the night of July 25, 2020 when he encountered a large crowd of protesters. They were illegally blocking city streets that night, according to police, as protesters in Austin and elsewhere had done during weeks of rioting.
Among the protesters was 28-year-old Garrett Foster, who was carrying an AK-47. Perry's defense team says that the demonstrators encircled and started pounding on his vehicle and that Foster raised the firearm at Perry, prompting him to open fire with a handgun he legally carried for self-defense.
"When Garrett Foster pointed his AK-47 at Daniel Perry, Daniel had two tenths of a second to defend himself. He chose to live," Doug O’Connell, an attorney for Perry, told Fox News Digital. "It may be legal in Texas to carry an assault rifle in downtown Austin. It doesn’t make it a good idea. If you point a firearm at someone, you’re responsible for everything that happens next."
Although the Austin Police Department concluded at the time that Perry acted in self-defense, George Soros-backed Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza brought murders charges against Perry.
Texas has one of the strongest stand your ground laws in the country and it "cannot be "nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney," Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said.
"Self-defense is a God-given right, not a crime. Unfortunately, the Soros-backed DA in Travis County cares more about the radical agenda of dangerous Antifa and BLM mobs than justice," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement to Fox News Digital following the Perry verdict.
Abbott said Saturday that he intends to seek a pardon for Perry.
"I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry," the Abbott said.
Abbott noted that pardons in Texas must be recommended by the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
"I have made that request and instructed the board to expedite its review," Abbott said.
Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec noted: "Read the affidavit [below] from the lead detective, claiming that the Soros DA directed him 'to remove exculpatory information that I had intended to present to the grand jury during my testimony.' This detective believes the Soros DA acted criminally.
Posobiec added: "What 2A supporters often miss is that there isnt a point in owning a vast arsenal if you'll get thrown into prison by a Soros-funded DA for using one to defend your life (as in Daniel Perry's case). Libs have essentially learned how to circumvent the 2A."
Free Press International
[Freedom Is Not Free!]
