Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blasted Travis County District Attorney José Garza who he described as a “Soros-backed” prosecutor. The attack on the district attorney followed the conviction by a local jury of Army Sergeant Daniel Perry in connection to the shooting death of a Black Lives Matter armed protester in July 2020. Sgt. Perry claimed self-defense in the case.
“Self-defense is a God-given right, not a crime,” Attorney General Paxton told Fox News on Saturday morning. “Unfortunately, the Soros-backed DA in Travis County cares more about the radical agenda of dangerous Antifa and BLM mobs than justice.”
“This week has shown us how rogue prosecutors have weaponized the judicial system,” AG Paxton added. “They must be stopped!”
His comments follow Sgt. Perry’s conviction on Friday by a jury in Travis County on Friday for the shooting death of Garret Foster. Perry claimed Foster pointed an AK-47 at him after protesters stopped his car as he attempted to move through the protest group.
Breitbart News’ Simon Kent reported the shooting which took place on July 25, 2020, during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin. A Facebook video showed captured the incident but did not make the circumstances leading up to the shooting clear.
A few days later, Breitbart’s Amy Furr reported that Perry’s attorney identified him as the shooter and made the initial claim of self-defense. On the night of the shooting, Perry left the scene and stopped a short distance away to call the police and report the shooting.
Perry was reportedly driving an Uber rideshare at the time and became surrounded by protestors. The protesters banged on his car and Foster allegedly pointed the AK-47 at Perry while other protesters banged their fists on his car. Perry then fired at Foster from inside his car, Perry’s attorney stated.
On the day following the shooting, KVUE reported:
Perry claims that Foster approached his car and motioned for him to roll down his window. Initially, Perry said he thought Foster was a member of law enforcement.
“Sergeant Perry thought he might be law enforcement, given that he was carrying an assault rifle. And even though this is Texas, you don’t expect to see people in the middle of street with assault rifles,” Broden told KVUE in an interview on Friday night.
Perry said at some point, Foster raised his weapon at him, prompting him to shoot Foster.
“Somebody sees an assault rifle being raised at them, they’re not going to wait until the assault rifle gets 90 degrees to see what the person’s going to shoot. If they’re in a position to defend themselves, they’re going to do it,” [attorney Clint Broden] said.
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters they detained, questioned, and later released Sgt. Perry “pending further investigation.”
A subsequent attorney for Perry, Doug O’Connell, told Fox News, “When Garrett Foster pointed his AK-47 at Daniel Perry, Daniel had two-tenths of a second to defend himself. He chose to live.”
Apparently the State of Texas no longer recognizes the right of self-defense. @GregAbbott_TX is welcome to come on and discuss. pic.twitter.com/A7o5MvZTVy
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 8, 2023
Following the conviction, Fox News Tucker Carlson defended Perry’s self-defense shooting of Foster and called upon Texas Governor Greg Abbott to consider a pardon for Perry.
Texas 147th District Court Judge Clifford Brown (D) plans to meet with attorneys on Monday to set a date for a sentencing hearing.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.