U.S. Army sergeant Daniel Perry was sentenced to 25 years for murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 following his conviction in April, according to reports from CNN and Associated Press, which Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said he will pardon.
A vigil was held for Garrett Foster the day after he was shot and killed by Daniel Perry.
Perry, 35, was convicted Wednesday morning of shooting Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran who was participating in a racial justice protest in Austin, Texas, following the police murder of George Floyd.
On July 25, 2020, Perry drove his vehicle into the crowd that was protesting and where Foster was openly carrying an assault rifle—Foster then approached Perry’s car and motioned for him to lower his window and Perry fatally shot him with a handgun, prosecutors said.
Perry faced between five and 99 years, and his defense team on Tuesday asked for a sentence of 10 years, citing self-defense and Perry’s psychological issues—prosecution requested a minimum of 25 years.
After Perry was convicted in April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said he would seek to pardon him and issued a request for the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to expedite a review of the case before the sentence was handed down.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Army sergeant who killed a Black Lives Matter protester in Texas sentenced to 25 years in prison (CNN)
Army sergeant who fatally shot BLM protester in Texas sentenced to 25 years (Associated Press)
Active Duty Sergeant Charged With Murder After Killing Black Lives Matter Protestor (Forbes)