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

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime prices have been introduced towards a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and staff of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort stores.

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

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

“No individual ought to be afraid to shop or go to work in our group. Nor should people have to fret that they could be violently attacked due to the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer 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 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 cause bodily damage, or attempt to take action utilizing a harmful weapon because of the victim’s precise or perceived race, coloration, religion or national origin.

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

The charges 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 folks, 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 General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, however the Justice Division is committed to utilizing all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

That is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime prices have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace informed ABC Information.

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.