Federal hate crime expenses introduced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist shooting in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime charges have been announced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and staff of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.

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

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

“No person ought to be afraid to shop or go to work in our group. Nor ought to people have to worry that they may be violently attacked because of the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. 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 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 harm, or try to take action utilizing a dangerous weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, colour, religion or national origin.

Clayton County is a predominantly Black neighborhood, making up 72.8% of the population, based on the U.S. Census Bureau.

The charges towards Foxworth come in the wake of the mass capturing 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 Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all of the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks throughout a news convention on the Division of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

This 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. Attorney’s Office instructed ABC Information.

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

ABC Information' Luke Barr contributed to this report.