A former US army sergeant who fatally shot an armed protester at a Black Lives matter rally in 2020 has been released from prison after he was pardoned by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday.
Abbott’s proclamation comes after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles announced a unanimous recommendation that Perry be paroned and have his full rights of citizenship, including his firearms rights, restored.
{snip}
The pardon came a year after Gov. Abbott had ordered the board to review Perry’s case in April 2023, and said he would sign a pardon if recommended.
Under Texas law, the governor cannot issue a pardon without a recommendation from the board, which the governor appoints.
“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,” Abbott said in a statement.
“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,” the governor added.
The board voted unanimously for a pardon and restoration of firearms rights on Thursday after its “investigative efforts encompassed a meticulous review of pertinent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case,” according to a statement.
{snip}
Prosecutors alleged he could have driven away from the confrontation, where Foster, a US Air Force mechanic was openly carrying an AK-47 rifle.
Perry’s defense attorneys argued during trial that Foster did raise the rifle and that Perry had no choice but to shoot with his .357 revolver in self-defense.
A jury convicted Perry of murder, but Abbott called it a case of self-defense.
A Republican in his third term, Abbott has typically issued pardons only for minor offenses, and he notably avoided a posthumous pardon recommendation for George Floyd for a 2004 drug arrest in Houston.
It was Floyd’s killing by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 that set off national demonstrations.
* Original Article:
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/137869/Daniel-Perry-pardon-gov-greg-abbott-shooting/amp