State Representative Greg Abbott and the Case for a Pardon of the Officer who Shot a Black Lives Matter Demonstration at Ft Hood

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that he was working to pardon the army sergeant convicted of killing a protester at a Black Lives Matter rally.

When he was stationed at Ft Hood, the man who worked as a driver for the ride-sharing app turned onto a street crowded with protesters, including Foster. Both men had valid firearms licenses.

The career prosecutors and the victims’ counselors tried the case. They worked hard to make a complete and accurate presentation of the facts to the jury,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza after Perry’s Friday conviction. The Foster family has been a source of sadness for us. We hope this verdict brings closure and peace to the victim’s family.”

As the pressure campaign mounted, Abbott made a promise that he would ask the Texas Board of Paroles, whose members he appointees, to expedite the paperwork for Perry, who he vowed to sign as soon as it hit his desk. The governor justified his work for a pardon by saying, “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.”

The prosecution argued that Perry initiated the encounter by running a red light to turn into the crowd gathered for the police brutality protest and had previously posted on social media about shooting protesters, according to CNN affiliate KEYE.

The governor didn’t go into detail about why he believes Perry should be pardoned, but he cited Perry’s attorney’s explanation that Perry shot Foster in self-defense.

Texas has a Stand Your Ground law that can’t be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney.

DR J.C. Foster is not a Soros-Funded DA, but rather a Demonstration

The agency said the board would begin the investigation immediately. “Upon completion, the board will report to the governor on the investigation and make recommendations to the governor.”

Travis County District Attorney José Garza says it is “deeply troubling” that Abbott is intervening in the case, noting that the legal process around the case isn’t yet complete.

“In this case, a jury of twelve listened to testimony for nearly two weeks, upending their lives to painstakingly evaluate the evidence and arguments presented by both the State and the Defense,” Garza said in a statement emailed to NPR.

Dean Obeidallah is a former attorney and the host of The Dean Obeidallah Show on SiriusXM radio. You can follow him at masto.ai. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. You can find more opinions on CNN.

There are conflicting accounts as to whether Foster pointed his weapon at or at the other person. What’s undisputed, however, is that Perry fired five shots from his .357 revolver through his car window, killing Foster. When he fled the scene, he called the police to say he acted in self-defense.

On his Fox News show on Friday night, Carlson called on Abbott to pardon Perry, arguing that the defendant had acted in self-defense – despite the jury rejecting that argument. Carlson even attacked the prosecutor by describing him as a “Soros-funded DA,” invoking the billionaire Jewish philanthropist whose name is often used as an antisemitic putdown by the right. Carlson declared that the verdict “means that in the state of Texas, if you have the wrong politics, you’re not allowed to defend yourself.”

Did Jackson cite evidence showing that the jury had made a mistake? Nope. Like some other Republicans, he dog-whistled the name of George Soros, saying to don’t let the Austin liberal district attorney destroy our justice system.

But the jury was aware of the Stand Your Ground law. It reviewed the facts in the case and determined that Perry was guilty. If the verdict is so clearly wrong, then lawyers for the defendant should file an appeal. According to Clint bleden, the client plans to appeal the verdict.