Federal hate crime fees announced towards man accused of plotting racist taking pictures in Georgia

The person allegedly shot into two grocery shops in Jonesboro, Georgia.

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime costs have been introduced against a person accused of planning to fatally shoot prospects and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two convenience shops at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Each stores were open for business.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who is white, was motivated to shoot into the shops due to the perceived race, coloration or national origin of the people inside the shops.

“No individual needs to be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to individuals have to fret that they could be violently attacked because of the color of their skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ok. Buchanan mentioned in an announcement.

Foxworth was charged with two counts of committing a federal hate crime and discharging a firearm to commit a violent crime. He has not but entered a plea.

He is being charged below the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily damage, or attempt to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon due to the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, colour, religion or nationwide origin.

Clayton County is a predominantly Black group, making up 72.8% of the population, based on the U.S. Census Bureau.

The costs in opposition to Foxworth come within the wake of the mass capturing at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

The 18-year-old suspect in Buffalo shot and killed 10 people, injuring three others, in what authorities have described as a racially motivated rampage.

“Hate-fueled violence has no place in a civilized society,” Assistant Lawyer Common Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, however the Justice Division is dedicated to using all of the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Legal professional Common for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a news conference at the Division of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

This is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime costs have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Office told ABC Information.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clayton County Police Department.

ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.