Federal hate crime prices introduced against man accused of plotting racist taking pictures in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been announced towards a person accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.

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

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who is white, was motivated to shoot into the stores because of the perceived race, colour or nationwide origin of the people contained in the shops.

“No individual must be afraid to buy or go to work in our group. Nor should individuals have to fret that they may be violently attacked due to the colour of their skin,” U.S. Legal professional Ryan Ok. Buchanan stated in a statement.

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 is being charged underneath 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 using a harmful weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, colour, religion or national origin.

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

The fees in opposition to Foxworth come within 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 Attorney Common Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to using all of the tools in our legislation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney Common for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a news convention at the Department of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

That is the first time in about eight years that hate crime prices have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office informed 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.