Federal hate crime charges introduced towards man accused of plotting racist capturing in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime fees have been announced towards a man 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 convenience stores at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Both shops were open for business.

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

“No individual should be afraid to buy or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor should people have to worry that they might be violently attacked because of the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan K. Buchanan mentioned in a statement.

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 underneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily harm, or attempt to take action utilizing a harmful weapon because of 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, in response to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The costs towards Foxworth come within 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 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 Department’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Fortunately nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to using all of the instruments in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Lawyer General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a information conference on the Division of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

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

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.