Federal hate crime costs introduced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist shooting in Georgia

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime prices have been announced in opposition to a person accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience shops.

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

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who's white, was motivated to shoot into the stores because of the perceived race, coloration or nationwide origin of the people contained in the shops.

“No particular person needs to be afraid to shop or go to work in our group. Nor ought to individuals have to fret that they might be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Okay. Buchanan said 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 yet 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 injury, or attempt to take action using a harmful weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion or national origin.

Clayton County is a predominantly Black neighborhood, making up 72.8% of the inhabitants, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The fees against Foxworth come in the wake of the mass taking pictures at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

The 18-year-old suspect in Buffalo shot and killed 10 folks, 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 General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Fortunately nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to utilizing all of the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney Basic for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks throughout a information convention on the Division of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

That is the first time in about eight years that hate crime prices have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Office informed ABC Information.

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

ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.