A former US Army sergeant who killed a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 has received a full pardon.
Daniel Perry was convicted of murder after shooting an armed protester, Garrett Foster, 28, an Air Force veteran, during the nationwide anti-racism protests that swept the United States and the world in 2020.
He was being held in state prison on a 25-year sentence from his conviction in 2023.
That was until Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued a full pardon for the former soldier.
Abbott announced the pardon just minutes after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles said it had made the unanimous recommendation that Perry be pardoned and his firearms rights restored.
The Republican governor had previously ordered the board, which he appoints, to review Perry’s case and said he would sign a pardon if they recommended it.
Abbott’s demand for a review came after pressure from former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who, on national television, urged the Republican politician to intervene following Perry’s conviction.
Back in April of last year, Abbott tweeted: “I am working as quickly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry.”
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Perry was jailed after prosecutors successfully used his history on social media and text messages to portray him as a racist and someone who could commit violence again.
Foster, who is white, was legally carrying an AK-47 while marching in a Black Lives Matter protest when Perry killed him.
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Perry was working as a rideshare driver in July 2020 and turned his car on a street full of protesters, shot Foster and drove off.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Perry could have simply walked away without opening fire.
Witnesses testified that they did not see Mr. Foster raise his gun, but Perry’s representatives in court claimed that Mr. Foster did raise his rifle, leaving the former soldier with no other option.
Perry, who is also white, did not take the stand and the jury deliberated for two days before finding him guilty.
In a statement published on
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