A Travis County jury found Army Sergeant Daniel Perry guilty of murder on Friday. After two days of deliberation, the jury ruled he was responsible for killing a protestor during a 2020 Black Lives Matter rally in Texas.
“We’re happy with the verdict. We’re very sorry for his family as well. There’s no winners in this,” Stephen Foster, the victim’s father, said.
Also Read | Who was Ben Ferencz? Last living prosecutor from Nuremberg trials dies at 103
Who is Daniel Perry?
Army Sergeant Daniel Perry was convicted of murder for shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter protester carrying an AK-47 after the gun was raised toward him. Perry acted in self-defense, according to the Austin Police Department.
He was posted at Fort Hood at the time of the shooting. He was driving an Uber to earn extra money in downtown Austin on the night of July 25, 2020, when he encountered a large group of protestors.
According to police, the protestors were illegally blocking streets that night as protesters in Austin and elsewhere had done during the weeks of rioting.
Garrett Foster, 28, was among the protestors and carrying an AK-47. According to Perry’s defense team, the protestors encircled and started pounding his vehicle, and Foster raised the gun at Perry, prompting him to open fire with a handgun he legally carried for self-defense.
Also Read | Who is Donna Adams? Woman goes viral for taking selfie with Josh Allen thinking he’s Chris Pratt lookalike
Perry said he shot Foster three times in self-defense, killing him. Prosecutors highlighted Perry’s social media posts and Facebook messages, such as when he said he might kill a few people on his way to work.
Perry now awaits sentencing. He was found not guilty of an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to driving in front of another protestor.
Also Read | No active shooter, injuries at Great Lakes Crossing Mall, Auburn Hills, Michigan
According to the Austin American-Statesman report, Judge Clifford Brown said the sentencing hearing could happen as early as next Tuesday. He faces at least five years in jail, but murder convictions can lead to a life sentence in Texas.
