Austin murder trial begins for Army sergeant who claims he shot armed protester in self-defense in 2020

The murder trial for an Army sergeant who shot and killed a protester during demonstrations in the summer of 2020 began on Monday in Austin, Texas.
The shooting occurred during Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted across the Texas state capital and the rest of the United States nearly three years ago.
Daniel Perry, who was stationed at Fort Hood at the time, was driving for Uber to make extra money in downtown Austin on the night of July 25, 2020, when he encountered a large crowd of protesters.
They were illegally blocking city streets that night according to police, as protesters in Austin and elsewhere had done during the weeks of rioting.
Among the protesters was 28-year-old Garrett Foster, who was carrying an AK-47.
"When Garrett Foster pointed his AK-47 at Daniel Perry, Daniel had two tenths of a second to defend himself.
He chose to live," Doug O’Connell, an attorney for Perry, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"It may be legal in Texas to carry an assault rifle in down town Austin.
Perry drove to a safe location away from the scene and called 911 to report what happened.
AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT TURNS TO AI AS STAFFING CRISIS LOOMSThe indictment itself was not without controversy.
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The Travis County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday evening.