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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime fees have been introduced in opposition to a person accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two convenience shops at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Both shops were open for enterprise.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who's white, was motivated to shoot into the shops because of the perceived race, color or nationwide origin of the individuals contained in the stores.

“No individual must be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to individuals have to worry that they could be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Okay. Buchanan said 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 but 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 cause bodily damage, or try to do so utilizing a harmful weapon because of the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, shade, faith 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 costs towards Foxworth come in 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 Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Division is dedicated 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 information convention at the Department of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

This is the first time in about eight years that hate crime fees have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace instructed 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.