Daniel Perry murder trial: Interview with APD shown in court
According to interview footage shown in court Monday, Daniel Perry paced back and forth for about 30 minutes, waiting for an Austin Police Department detective to question him after he shot and killed a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — According to interview footage shown in court Monday, Daniel Perry paced back and forth for about 30 minutes, waiting for an Austin Police Department detective to question him after he shot and killed a Black Lives Matter protester in downtown Austin in July 2020.
Perry is accused of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the death of Garrett Foster. The interview footage shown in court was from a short time after the shooting.
"Sir...hello?" Perry yelled from the inside of the interview room at APD headquarters, as he knocked on the door, according to the footage. Multiple APD officers tried to calm Perry down, offering him water and asking him to take deep breaths.
In the interview video, you hear one of the officers empathize with Perry, saying he knows the process is stressful.
Perry then proceeds to start hysterically crying, asking not to be left alone, the video shows.
"Oh my God, oh my God, he’s dead," Perry said. "I'm sorry!"
Follow reporter Jala Washington's live updates from the Daniel Perry trial.
In the video, Perry was told he wasn't under arrest, and that he didn't have to speak with the detective that night. Still, Perry said he wanted to speak with the police.
In this sit-down with police, Perry told them he was in town working for Uber to make more money. He also revealed he was an Army sergeant at Fort Hood.
Perry told the detective he got a text from a woman he met while working for Uber earlier that day. He said he got distracted while texting her because she asked for money to go on a date with him. Perry said he looked up and he was in the crowd of protesters on Congress Street in downtown Austin, according to the video.
The detective questioned Perry about how Foster approached his car. Perry told him, Foster motioned for him to roll the window down.
“He approached my vehicle, and I thought he wanted to talk to me," Perry said in the interview.
Perry repeatedly told police he was in fear for his life.
"All I know is that he was raising it up at me, and I was in fear for my life...I panicked," Perry said.
The detective actively asked Perry to demonstrate how high Foster raised the barrel of his rifle when Foster approached Perry's car.
Perry seemingly calmed down after the first round of questioning from the detective. The interview video from APD headquarters shows another officer come in after the detective leaves.
"I'm going to hang out with you a bit," the officer said. "How long have you been in the Army?"
This story will be updated by reporter Jala Washington.