Texas Governor Greg Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry, a former US Army officer sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder. 2020 shooting of a Black Lives Matter protester (BLM), Garrett Foster, who protested for racial justice and against police brutality in the months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In a statement, Abbott said that “the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted a thorough review of Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident,” with a “thorough review of relevant documents,” after which he recommended an investigation. full pardon and restoration of all civil rights of citizenship.

He argued that Texas has one of the strictest self-defense laws (known as “Stand Your Ground”), which he believed could not be overturned by a jury or a “progressive” district attorney.

The governor thanked the investigation and approved its recommendation for clemency.

Texas law states that the governor can grant clemency on the recommendation of the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor.

That body also voted unanimously to recommend that the pardoned person’s firearms rights be fully restored.

Shortly after the pardon, Perry was released from the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Perry’s attorney, Doug O’Connell, said his client is “excited and relieved to be free” and thanked the governor and the state pardon authority for their efforts to gain his freedom.

Perry’s lawyers said their client, who has reportedly been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and is on the autism spectrum, acted in self-defense.