Daniel Perry, the Texas man who was convicted of murder in Austin, Texas, on Friday for shooting a Black Lives Matter activist during the unrest sparked by the 2020 death of George Floyd, may have an ally in the Texas governor’s office. On Saturday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signaled his willingness to sign a pardon for Perry, providing he can get a recommendation from the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Perry was convicted of shooting BLM supporter Garrett Foster with a handgun. Perry claimed he felt threatened when Foster, armed with a AK-47, a club, and a knife, approached his vehicle and pointed the gun at him. Perry responded by firing a handgun at Foster, killing him.
Perry was a U.S. Army sergeant who was driving for Uber at the time of the incident in July of 2020. He claims he acted in self-defense, and it looks as if Abbott agrees with him. Both Perry and Foster were white men. According to the prosecution, the safety was on Foster’s weapon and no bullet was in the chamber.
But how would that matter if he was pointing the weapon at someone else? How could a person with a gun aimed at him possibly know if the safety was on or whether or not a bullet was chambered?
“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,” Abbott declared in a statement.
“Unlike the president or some other states, the Texas Constitution limits the Governor’s pardon authority to only act on a recommendation by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Texas law DOES allow the Governor to request the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine if a person should be granted a pardon. I have made that request and instructed the Board to expedite its review,” Abbott said.
“I look forward to approving the Board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk,” Abbott declared.
And then Abbott warned far-left district attorneys in the Lone Star State: “Additionally, I have already prioritized reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal.”
One of those DAs, Jose Garza of Travis County, who was a part of the Perry case, said Abbott’s remarks represented a weakening of the rule of law.
“This is not about me. This is really just another shot at our community here in Austin, Texas. Here in Travis County,” Garza said. “The Travis County District Attorney’s Office is going to continue to prosecute people who engage in acts of gun violence and if the governor wants to continue to pardon people who engage in acts of gun violence, that is certainly up to him.”
Garza has already requested a meeting with the Board of Pardons and Paroles to present evidence that the jury considered in their decision to convict Perry.
“For as long the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has existed, it has been a cautious steward of the power of clemency in our State,” Garza said. “We look forward to working with the Board to present all evidence necessary for its consideration.”
The far-left in America was enraged by Abbott’s suggestion of a pardon.
“It’s open season for racism in America,” wrote Keith Boykin, a former Clinton administration staffer. “Daniel Perry murdered 28-year-old Air Force veteran Garrett Foster. A jury convicted him on Friday. But Texas’s Republican Governor Greg Abbott plans to pardon him because he killed a Black Lives Matter protester.”
Foster’s fiance, Whitney Mitchell, was equally horrified at the thought of a pardon. Mitchell was, reportedly, with Foster when he was killed.
“I was disgusted,” Mitchell said. “It was shocking to see that after everything that me and Garrett’s family have been through … I was so relieved to see justice for Garrett, and then just for all of that, to just be completely taken away, it is extremely horrifying.”
Thus far the Board of Pardons and Paroles has been non-committal regarding any pardon for Perry.
“Chairman Gutierrez, the Presiding Officer of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has received a request from Governor Abbott asking for an expedited investigation, along with a recommendation as to a pardon for U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry. The board will be commencing that investigation immediately. Upon completion, the board will report to the governor on the investigation and make recommendations to the governor.”
Perry faces from five to 99 years in prison.
It’s entirely possible that any pardon of Perry could again spark national violence in support of Black Lives Matter.
