Sgt. Daniel Perry, a soldier in the US Army, has been charged with murder after killing a BLM protester last summer. This happened during the months of violence and destruction that occurred last year following George Floyd’s death. Cities across the nation were inundated with demonstrations, many of which devolved into rioting.
Perry was making extra money by driving for a ride-sharing service at the time. After dropping off a fare, he turned onto a street that was being blocked by what was ostensibly a protest. When he attempted to make his way through, people surrounded his car, beating on it. That’s when Garrett Foster approached him with an AK-variant rifle, pointed it at him, and demanded the window be rolled down. At that point, Perry feared for his life and discharged his firearm in what he felt was self-defense.
There is video that shows the scene, confirming that the car was, in fact, mobbed.
Someone opened fire at the Austin protest. https://t.co/cIRah6f3fQ
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 26, 2020
Because this is Austin, TX we are dealing with, Perry has now been charged with murder, indicted by a grand jury seated by a rabidly political district attorney.
Texas soldier who shot BLM protester indicted on murder charge https://t.co/CHEJxNrxph pic.twitter.com/zMUes2ZS2K
— New York Post (@nypost) July 2, 2021
The grand jury reviewed over 100 exhibits and interviewed 22 “witnesses.” The problem is, of course, that all the witnesses are likely heavily biased by the fact that they were attendees at the protest and sympathize with the idea that people should be able to block roads and threaten motorists. We’ve seen irrational proclamations from BLM protesters before, blaming drivers for defending themselves, even when video evidence clearly shows what truly happened. There’s little reason to believe this situation is any different.
Perry was clearly not seeking to shoot anyone. He was trying to legally drive on a road that protesters were illegally blocking. They then illegally surrounded his car and began to beat on it. At that point, he already had reason to fear for his life. Add in someone pointing a gun in your face while demanding you roll down the window, further exposing yourself to the crowd, and it’s not hard to imagine why Perry decided to discharge his weapon. That open carry is legal in Texas did not mean that Foster could point his weapon at Perry without expecting a response.
Unfortunately for Perry, the jury pool is going to come from a very liberal area of Texas, which means his acquittal, though it seems probable, is not guaranteed. The normalization of lawlessness by BLM and other activist groups has put normal Americans in an inexplicable position, and it’s a disgusting facet of liberal rule in these blue cities.
In the end, I can’t be sure that Perry did everything right here by every aspect of the law, but what I do know is that no one should have to be subjected to a raging mob surrounding their car while having a gun pointed in their face. That’s not America, and that a large portion of the country thinks that’s fine is disturbing. Get out of these blue cities because the law is not going to protect you.