Federal hate crime prices announced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist shooting in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

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

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

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

“No individual should be afraid to shop or go to work in our group. Nor should individuals have to worry that they could be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Legal professional Ryan K. Buchanan said 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 is being charged beneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily harm, or try to take action utilizing a harmful weapon because of the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, shade, faith or nationwide origin.

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

The charges 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 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 Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Division is dedicated to utilizing all of the tools in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

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

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.