AUSTIN, Texas — The verdict is in and a jury of 12 found Daniel Perry guilty of the murder of a Black Lives Matter protester. 

In July 2020, the Army sergeant was working for ridesharing company Uber when he came upon a large demonstration in downtown Austin. Protesters began pounding on his car, and Perry’s attorneys claimed that Garrett Foster, 28, pointed a weapon at him. Acting in self-defense, Perry fatally shot Foster, his attorneys said.

Foster died on July 25, 2020.  

The argument for Perry's defense team was that he had to defend himself from the swarm of protesters as anyone would find it to be a scary situation. Nearly 40 witnesses were called on to take the stand and testify. Several of them backed up Perry's account of his car being hounded by protesters. They admitted to kicking and hitting his car. 

A Facebook live video caught a bit of the chaos. Although the altercation was not seen on video, audio picked up a car honking and gunshots following that. Screams broke out among the crowd as they scattered. Afterward, police are seen taking care of someone on the ground.

Foster’s death came at a time where the nation took to the streets to protest the tragic police killing of George Floyd in May 2020. The nation unraveled after video showed a Minneapolis officer press his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes. His pleas were ignored as a handcuffed Floyd told police he couldn’t breathe.