Federal hate crime costs announced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist taking pictures in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime prices have been introduced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and staff of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort shops.

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, colour or national origin of the folks contained in the shops.

“No individual must be afraid to buy or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor should people have to fret that they may be violently attacked because of the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan K. Buchanan stated in a press release.

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's being charged beneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily damage, or try to take action using a dangerous weapon due to the victim’s precise or perceived race, color, faith or national origin.

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

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

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

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

That is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime expenses have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s Office advised ABC News.

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

ABC Information' Luke Barr contributed to this report.