Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has heard all of the outrage surrounding the conviction of Sgt. Daniel Perry — and now he’s taking action.
For the unfamiliar, Perry was unceremoniously thrust into the spotlight after he was accused of shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter protester, Garrett Foster.
Tragically, this incident involved two service members, as Perry is a U.S. Army sergeant and Foster was an Air Force veteran.
As The Guardian reported, Perry was driving for Uber on July 25, 2020, in downtown Austin, where a BLM rally was taking place as part of nationwide protests and riots over the death of George Floyd.
Perry’s legal team argued that the sergeant had no choice but to shoot Foster in self-defense after protesters surrounded his car and Foster pointed an AK-47 at him.
A Travis County jury did not find that argument compelling enough, and Perry was found guilty of murder on Friday, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
He was not, however, found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he was accused of intentionally ramming his car into the protesters.
Journalist Andy Ngo tweeted an image purporting to show the moment preceding the shooting:
After the BLM mob attacked the car of Uber driver Daniel Perry, they surrounded him. #BLM boogaloo member Garrett Foster went up to the driver with his rifle before being shot dead by Perry. Perry was convicted yesterday of murder in Austin, Texas. The case was prosecuted by… pic.twitter.com/tzMjhpB4ih
— Andy Ngô ?️? (@MrAndyNgo) April 8, 2023
The conviction sent shockwaves through conservative circles given that Texas has some of the stoutest “stand your ground” self-defense laws in the nation.
A common thread among conservative commentators is that Perry was convicted thanks to a George Soros-funded district attorney:
Daniel Perry was working as an Uber driver in Austin, TX when he found himself in the middle of a BLM mob.
A guy came up to his car and pointed an AK-47 at him and he fired back in self defense.
He was indicted for murder by a Soros-funded DA and was just found guilty. pic.twitter.com/bx5kLXzqva
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 7, 2023
The lead detective in the Daniel Perry case was ordered by the CORRUPT SOROS OWNED DA to REMOVE evidence that would prove his innocence. This is unconscionable. This injustice needs to be FIXED NOW!! pic.twitter.com/IZhAi5OO17
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) April 8, 2023
Those objections to Perry’s conviction appear to have reached the ear of Abbott.
On Saturday, the Texas governor announced that he is working on pardoning Perry:
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
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive supreme court,” Abbott wrote.
“Unlike the President or some other states, the Texas Constitution limits the Governor’s pardon authority to only act on a recommendation by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Texas law DOES allow the Governor to request the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine if a person should be granted a pardon.
“I have made that request and instructed the Board to expedite its review,” Abbott said.
“Additionally, I have already prioritized reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal.”
Reining in district attorneys and pardoning Perry? If Abbott pulls it off, you can bet that leftist activists will not be thrilled.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.