Governor grants clemency to firearm offender
During a Black Lives Matter protest, a man shoots one of the protesters. A judge sentences him to several years in prison. Conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson urges his acquittal. Now, the Texas governor has granted him a pardon.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has pardoned a former US soldier who had been imprisoned for multiple years for killing a protester during a Black Lives Matter demonstration. Abbott claims that Texas law protects everyone's right to self-defense, which can't be overruled by a jury or a liberal prosecutor (this guy is a Republican, remember?).
A capable board had previously suggested a pardon. The death of George Floyd, a black guy, ignited the Black Lives Matter movement in spring 2020. There were widespread protests across the nation against police brutality and racism. During a demonstration in Austin, the ex-soldier shot and killed a 28-year-old protester. He said in court that he drove his vehicle into the protest. He fired after the victim threatened him with a rifle. Both the shooter and the victim are white.
Racist Images
Testimonies painted a different picture. They said the armed victim tried to stop the man from driving his car into the crowd. The ex-soldier was then sentenced to 25 years in prison last year. The Washington Post reported on court papers that found the shooter shared racist images and menacing content on social media. The case gained traction in the US because right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson on his Fox News show asked for the former soldier's acquittal.
This situation recalls the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. In the summer of 2020, Rittenhouse, 17 at the time, shot two white men and injured another with an assault rifle during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He invoked self-defense during the trial against him and was found not guilty. Rittenhouse has now become a hero in the far-right community and frequently appears in public.
Source: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/ex-us-soldier-gets-pardon-after-killing-black-lives-matter-protester-in-texas-41365567.html
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The controversy surrounding the pardoned former soldier's case in Texas was further fueled by reports of him sharing racist images and menacing content on social media. Despite this, the Governor's decision to grant clemency sparked controversy, given the context of widespread protests against racism and police brutality.
Source: www.ntv.de
