An active duty Army sergeant at Fort Hood says he was the one who shot and killed a man at a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas last weekend, according to the sergeant’s attorney.
Sergeant Daniel Perry said he shot Garrett Foster in self-defense after Foster allegedly raised an assault rifle at Perry, according to a statement from the attorney obtained by The Washington Post.
According to the statement, Perry was driving for a ride-sharing company in downtown Austin on the night of July 25 when he turned a corner into a protest he didn’t know was happening.
At that time, the lawyer says the protesters started hitting Perry’s car. Foster allegedly approached the car window with an assault rifle.
The attorney said Foster gestured for the driver to roll down the window and Perry did so because “he initially believed the person was associated with the police.”
Perry realized that Foster was not an officer, after which Foster allegedly raised his rifle against Perry. The attorney said Perry perceived it as “life threatening” and shot Foster with a pistol that he kept in his car.
Police said last weekend that the shooting victim was transported to a hospital and announced his death soon after.
According to the Post, blurry cell phone images show protesters outside Perry’s arrested car. You hear honks followed by gunshots, along with a woman screaming that “someone was hit by a car.”
Perry’s attorney said the Army Sgt has served in the military for eight years, including a tour in Afghanistan. He is not facing charges at this time, the Post reported Friday.
“We simply ask that anyone who wants to criticize Sergeant Perry’s actions be caught in a car as a masked stranger raises an assault rifle in his direction and ponders what he might have done if faced with a fraction’s decision. second that Sergeant Perry faced that night, “DClint Broden, an attorney based in Allas, said in the statement.
Foster’s mother had said that her son and fiancee had participated in the Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Austin on Saturday and that the couple had been for the past 50 days.
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