
An attendee pays respects at a vigil for Garrett Foster on July 26, 2020 in downtown Austin, Texas. Photo: Sergio Flores/Getty Images
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he would pardon a man convicted on Friday of killing an Austin social justice protester.
Driving the news: Abbott announced Saturday that he has requested that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles determine if Daniel Perry should be granted a pardon.
- A Travis County jury had convicted the U.S. Army sergeant and Uber driver of murder in the 2020 shooting death of Austin Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster.
- Perry killed Foster, an Air Force veteran who was legally armed, during a confrontation at an Austin BLM protest.
What happened: Perry drove into a crowd gathered downtown to protest police violence, and later fatally shot Foster, who was carrying an AK-47 rifle.
- Perry's defense team said that he acted in self-defense, per the Austin American-Statesman, but prosecutors argued that Perry instigated what happened.
- They drew attention to social media posts and Facebook messages in which Perry made statements that they said spoke to his state of mind, including that he might "kill a few people on my way to work. They are rioting outside my apartment complex," per the Statesman.
What they're saying: "I look forward to approving the Board's pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk," Abbott said in a statement posted to Twitter.
- "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," Abbott said, in an apparent reference to Travis County's Democratic District Attorney José Garza.
The other side: Garza addressed Abbott's attempted pardon in a statement on Sunday, according to the Statesman, saying, "a jury gets to decide whether a defendant is guilty or innocent — not the governor."
Between the lines: Abbott's announcement comes after Fox News host Tucker Carlson dedicated a segment to Perry's conviction on his show Friday evening.
- Carlson said he had invited Abbott to discuss whether he was considering a pardon for Perry, but said the governor declined
- "So that is Greg Abbott's position, there is no right of self-defense in Texas," Carlson told his viewers.
Details: The eight-day trial featured dozens of witnesses.
- An Austin jury deliberated for 17 hours over two days before reaching the verdict.
- The trial was not broadcast on TV and Abbott attended no portions of it, per the Statesman.
Worth noting: Members of the pardon and parole board are appointed by the governor.

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
More Austin stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Austin.