Ex-US army sergeant convicted of killing Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 pardoned by Texas governor
A former US army sergeant who killed a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 has been issued a full pardon.
Daniel Perry was convicted of murder after shooting an armed demonstrator, 28-year-old Garrett Foster, an Air Force veteran, during the nationwide anti-racist protests that swept the US and the world in 2020.
He was being held in a state prison on a 25-year sentence since his conviction in 2023.
That was until Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a full pardon for the former soldier on Thursday.
Mr Abbott announced the pardon just minutes after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles said it had made the unanimous recommendation that Perry be pardoned and given back his firearm rights.
The Republican governor had previously ordered the board, which he appoints, to review Perry’s case and said he would sign a pardon if recommended.
Mr Abbott’s demand for a review followed pressure from former Fox News star Tucker Carlson who, on national television, urged the Republican politician to intervene following Perry’s conviction.
As far back as April of last year, Mr Abbott tweeted: “I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry.”
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Perry was jailed after prosecutors successfully used his social media history and text messages to portray him as a racist and someone who may commit violence again.
Mr Foster, who is white, had been legally carrying an AK-47 while marching in a Black Lives Matter protest when Perry killed him.
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July 2020: Protesters flee gunfire in Texas
Perry was working as a ride-share driver in July 2020 and turned his car into a street crowded with demonstrators, shot Mr Foster, and drove off.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Perry could have simply drove off without opening fire.
Witnesses testified that they did not see Mr Foster raise his gun but Perry’s representatives in court claimed Mr Foster did raise his rifle, leaving the former soldier with no choice.
Perry, who is also white, did not take the witness stand and jurors deliberated for two days before finding him guilty.
In a statement posted on X, Mr Abbott said: “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.”
Elon Musk says he has created a new political party – the America Party –
after asking his followers if he should do so in an online poll.
It follows his public falling out with Republican President Donald Trump.
On Friday, the billionaire had asked his followers on X whether a new US political party should be created.
On Saturday evening he wrote on the same platform: “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.
“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
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Trump threatens to ‘put DOGE’ on Musk
The world’s richest man made the announcement just one day after President Trump signed a tax-cut and spending bill into law on Friday, which Musk had fiercely opposed.
Musk had previously said we would form and fund a new political party to unseat lawmakers who supported the bill.
From bromance to bust-up
The Tesla boss backed Trump’s election campaign with more than a quarter of a billion dollars, later rewarded with a high profile role running the newly created department of government efficiency (DOGE).
But observers of the two men, both with huge wealth and reputations, wondered how long the bromance would last.
Donald Trump gave Musk a warm send-off in the Oval Office in May. Pic: Reuters
In May Musk left the role, still on good terms with Trump but criticising key parts of his legislative agenda.
After that, the attacks ramped up, with Musk slamming the sweeping tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination” and Trump hitting back in a barbed tit-for-tat.
Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billion-dollar federal subsidies that flow to Musk’s companies, and said he would even consider deporting him.
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