Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that he plans to go as far as Texas state law allows him to in order to pardon U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry. Perry is in custody after shooting a Black Lives (BLM) protester that reportedly pointed an AK-47 rifle at him.
The governor said that “the Texas Constitution limits the Governor’s pardon authority to only act on a recommendation by the Board of Pardons and Paroles.”
He added that the state’s law allows the governor to “request the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine if a person should be granted a pardon.”
According to Abbott, he made such a request and “instructed the Board to expedite its reviews.”
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
The Texas Republican added that he has “already prioritized reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal.”
Perry was found guilty of murder this week of an armed protester in 2020.
During the incident, protester Garrett Foster was carrying an AK-47 and Perry was driving an Uber. Perry stated that when he honked his horn to get through the crowd,
Foster pointed the rifle at him, though this is disputed in court. Perry shot and fired in what he describes as self-defense. This resulted in the death of the armed protester. Perry’s case attracted significant national attention, including a call for a pardon by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Carlson and Abbott were not the only public figures to call for the freeing of Perry. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said that “self-defense is a God-given right, not a crime.” He also told Fox News that “rogue prosecutors have weaponized the judicial system.”
He also said that Travis County District Attorney José Garza (D) “cares more about the radical agenda of dangerous Antifa and BLM mobs than justice.”
Paxton also linked Garza to left-wing billionaire George Soros, who also donated to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), who is prosecuting former President Donald Trump.
