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

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime prices have been announced in opposition to a man 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 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 shops.

“No person should be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to people have to worry that they might be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Okay. Buchanan stated in an announcement.

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 injury, or try to take action utilizing a harmful weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, coloration, faith or national origin.

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

The costs 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 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 Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged in 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 Basic for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a news conference on the Department 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 within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace advised ABC Information.

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

ABC Information' Luke Barr contributed to this report.