Key takeaways:
- Daniel Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting Garrett Foster during a Black Lives Matter protest in July 2020.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted that he wanted to pardon Perry, but Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the jury’s decision should be respected.
- Perry’s conviction and sentencing serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting the rule of law and the decisions of the jury.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – On Wednesday, a U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas in July 2020. Daniel Perry, 35, was convicted last month by a Travis County jury of murder in the fatal shooting of Garrett Foster.
Perry arrived for his sentencing hearing in Austin, Texas, on May 9, 2023, and was seen on a pool video feed. During sentencing, prosecutors said Perry’s history of racist and provocative texts and social media posts expose a threat of violence likely to resurface.
In response to the jury’s verdict, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted that he wanted to pardon Perry, and said he asked the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider the matter. However, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said in a statement that the jury’s decision should be respected.
“In our legal system, a jury gets to decide whether a defendant is guilty or innocent — not the Governor,” Garza said. “We must respect the jury’s decision and the rule of law.”
The sentencing of Perry is the latest development in the nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice that began in 2020. Perry’s conviction and sentencing serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting the rule of law and the decisions of the jury.
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