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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has confirmed the full pardon of a former US Army sergeant and Uber driver who received a 25-year sentence for the fatal shooting of a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.
Abbott cited the state’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law, emphasizing its strength as one of the most robust measures in the United States. The pardon followed a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which conducted an investigation at Abbott’s request and advised restoring Daniel Perry’s firearm rights.
In April 2023, Perry was convicted of murder for the death of Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old US Air Force veteran, during a Black Lives Matter rally in Austin. The protest took place amid nationwide demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May 2020. Perry, claiming self-defense, argued he had to shoot Foster when Foster pointed an AK-47 at him.
The incident occurred as Perry was driving his Uber in Austin and turned onto a street filled with protesters, sparking fears among the crowd of an imminent vehicle assault. During the trial, conflicting testimonies were presented regarding whether Foster had indeed aimed his gun at Perry.
Perry’s lawyer, Doug O’Connell, celebrated the pardon, calling it a correction of a “courtroom travesty” and noting Perry’s happiness at being freed. O’Connell highlighted that Perry, who was imprisoned for 372 days, lost his military career and they plan to seek an honorable discharge for him. Conversely, Foster’s fiancée, Whitney Mitchell, and her mother expressed their devastation, describing the pardon as a “devastating blow” that reopened old wounds.
