What happened between Foster and Perry?
Foster and Perry encountered each other at a street protest on July 25, 2020 — about two months into national protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Perry, who was stationed at Ft. Hood, was in downtown Austin working as an Uber driver that night when he turned onto a street crowded with protesters, including Foster. Both men were carrying firearms legally.
Foster, 28, was carrying an AK-47 at the protest, which he attended with his fiancée. Perry was armed with a revolver — and as Foster approached Perry's car, Perry shot him repeatedly.
Witnesses said Perry was driving dangerously close to protesters; they also said Foster didn't raise his weapon toward Perry. But the defense team said Perry feared for his life, and that Foster had raised his gun. Prosecutors said Perry instigated the incident after running a red light.
A Travis County jury convicted Perry of murder on Friday.
Why does Abbott want to exonerate Perry?
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 one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney," Abbott said.
