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

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime expenses have been announced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and staff of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.

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

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

“No individual must be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor should people have to worry that they may be violently attacked due to the colour of their skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ok. Buchanan mentioned 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 trigger bodily injury, or try to take action utilizing a dangerous weapon due to the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, coloration, faith or nationwide origin.

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

The charges in opposition to 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 Legal professional Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, however the Justice Department is dedicated to using all the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a news 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 prices have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Office told 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.