On Saturday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that he plans to pardon Army Sgt. Daniel Perry after he was convicted for shooting a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rioter who pointed an AK-47 at him.
Perry, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, was approached by a group of BLM rioters in Austin while driving his vehicle. They stopped his car and surrounded it, and activist Garret Foster allegedly approached Perry with his AK-47 pointed at him. Fearing for his life, the Army sergeant shot the armed activist. This incident happened on July 25, 2020, in the midst of the George Floyd riots that spread across the country — where multiple motorists had already been stopped and severely injured by BLM rioters.
In response to Perry’s conviction, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a statement criticizing Travis County District Attorney José Garza — who the Republican AG described as a “Soros-backed” prosecutor.
Self-defense is a God given right, not a crime. https://t.co/bPQHpQUC7J
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 8, 2023
“Self-defense is a God-given right, not a crime,” Paxton told Fox News on Saturday morning. “Unfortunately, the Soros-backed DA in Travis County cares more about the radical agenda of dangerous Antifa and BLM mobs than justice.”
“This week has shown us how rogue prosecutors have weaponized the judicial system,” he added. “They must be stopped!”
Abbott came out shortly after Paxton to condemn the decision made by the jury in deep-blue Austin, pointing out that Texas’ strong self-defense laws “cannot be nullified by a jury.”
“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 Republican governor wrote in a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday.
I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry. pic.twitter.com/HydwdzneMU
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 8, 2023
Abbott went on to note that he has already requested a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles so that he can issue a pardon for Perry.
“I have made that request and instructed the Board to expedite its review,” the governor said. “I look forward to approving the Board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.”
In his statement, Abbott also revealed that he has “prioritized reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal.”
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick further discussed the matter during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Lawrence Jones Cross Country.”
