Federal hate crime fees introduced towards man accused of plotting racist taking pictures in Georgia

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime prices have been introduced against a person accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and workers 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 stores have been open for business.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who is white, was motivated to shoot into the shops due to the perceived race, coloration or national origin of the people inside the stores.

“No particular person needs to be afraid to buy or go to work in our community. Nor ought to individuals have to worry that they could be violently attacked because of the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Legal professional 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 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 damage, or try to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon because of the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, color, religion or nationwide origin.

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

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

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

This is the first time in about eight years that hate crime prices 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.