Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will pardon an Army sergeant who was convicted for shooting a Black Lives Matter protester ‘as soon as it hits my desk’

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas Marco Bello/Reuters

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday he would pardon a man who killed a Black Lived Matter protestor.
• Daniel Perry's defense team argued that he shot Garrett Foster in self defense in July 2020.
• A jury unanimously convicted Perry on murder charges on Friday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday said he will work "swiftly" to pardon an Army sergeant who was recently convicted of shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter protester.

Abbott said in a tweet that Texas has one of the strongest "Stand Your Ground" self-defense laws that "cannot be nullified by a jury or progressive district attorney."

A jury on Friday convicted Sgt. Daniel Perry for the shooting death of Garrett Foster, 28, at a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas. Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted after shooting three men — two fatally — during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, urged the governor to pardon Perry, according to the Austin-American Statesman. 

Perry was working as an Uber driver on July 25, 2020, when he shot and killed Foster, according to the outlet. Foster approached Perry's vehicle with an AK-47 rifle after Perry ran a red light and drove into a group of protesters, according to the outlet. Perry then shot Foster five times with a revolver before driving away, the American-Statesman reported.

Prosecutors alleged that Perry instigated the attack, pointing out that he made a series of Facebook posts where he said he might "kill a few people on my way to work. They are rioting outside my apartment complex," the newspaper reported.

A commenter asked Perry at the time if he "could legally do so," to which he responded, "If they attack me or try to pull me out of my car then yes," the outlet reported.

—Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 8, 2023

Abbott said he requested that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles hold a review to determine if Perry should receive a pardon and he ordered the board to expedite its review. 

"I look forward to approving the board's pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk," Abbott said in Saturday's tweet. "Additionally, I have prioritized reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal."

Abbott's office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment Sunday.