Witnesses called to testify in Sgt. Trial of Daniel Perry
The first day has just ended with what is expected to be a two-week test phase.
AUSTIN, Texas – Day one ended with the trial of a rideshare driver accused of murdering protester Garrett Foster at a protest in downtown Austin against police brutality.
Daniel Perry says he shot Garrett Foster in self-defense back in 2020. On Tuesday, the defense and prosecutors made their opening statements.
Prosecutors said the evidence showed the defendant was dishonest with police and is “unreliable” when it comes to his self-defense.
“The evidence will show that the defendant’s actions that night were unreasonable and that the defendant was in fact the person involved in the wrongful use of force that led to the wrongful killing of Garrett Foster,” prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez said.
The defense also issued its opening statement, alleging that one of Foster’s fellow protesters said Foster challenged Perry with a gun and gave Perry “no choice but to defend himself with his gun.”
“Get out of the car! That was Garrett Foster that night and the evidence will show that Garrett Foster was 18 inches, not 3 feet, 18 inches, from that car with that assault rifle,” defense attorney Clint Broden said.
The defense continued it took 40 seconds for Perry to call 911. The defense alleges police officers saw Perry “physically and emotionally upset,” “visibly shaken,” and “consistent” with someone who had to defend himself with deadly force.
After the opening speeches, attorneys questioned five witnesses, including Hiram Garcia, who made videos of the protests. They reviewed the video showing when Foster was shot. The jury also heard from Robert Garrett, a ridesharing driver, who made two 911 calls that night. The lawyers also showed his dashcam video and played the audio of calls he made. The third witness was Gordon Lefferd, who took photos at the protest. The fourth witness was Travis Bonnet, another rideshare driver. The fifth and final witness they brought was Michael Rose, who was present at the protest.
Emotions ran high as attorneys questioned Lefferd about the photos taken after the shooting showing Foster’s fiancé Whitney Mitchell and their facial expressions after Foster was shot by Perry.
During his testimony, rideshare driver Garrett admitted that he had never felt “more scared” in his life from what he saw and sometimes carried a gun when driving just because of what happened in that incident.
Day two of the trial begins again at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/crime/5-witnesses-called-to-stand-testify-in-trial-for-army-sergeant-accused-of-murder/269-8992eae0-022c-46df-89b5-4cf6b942a0dd Witnesses called to testify in Sgt. Trial of Daniel Perry
