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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been announced 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 were open for business.

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

“No particular person should be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to people have to worry that they could be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer 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 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 attempt to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, shade, religion or national origin.

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

The fees against Foxworth come in the wake of the mass taking pictures at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

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 mentioned. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all the instruments in our legislation 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 on the Division 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 Office informed ABC News.

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

ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.