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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime costs have been announced against a person accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort stores.

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

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

“No particular person must be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor should individuals have to fret that they could be violently attacked because of the colour of their skin,” U.S. Attorney 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 yet entered a plea.

He's being charged under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully trigger bodily injury, or attempt to do so using a dangerous weapon because of the sufferer’s precise or perceived race, shade, religion or national origin.

Clayton County is a predominantly Black group, making up 72.8% of the population, in response to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The charges towards Foxworth come in the wake of the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.

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 Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division said. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all of the tools in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney Normal for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a information convention at 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 Office told 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.