Federal hate crime costs introduced towards man accused of plotting racist capturing in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

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

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two comfort stores 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 national origin of the individuals contained in the stores.

“No particular person should be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor should folks have to fret that they might be violently attacked because of the color of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer 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's being charged underneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily harm, or attempt to take action utilizing a harmful weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, coloration, religion or national origin.

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

The costs towards Foxworth come within the wake of the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

The 18-year-old suspect in Buffalo shot and killed 10 individuals, 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. “Fortunately nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to utilizing all of the instruments in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Legal professional Normal for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks throughout a news convention at the Division of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

That is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime charges have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace instructed ABC News.

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

ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.