Federal hate crime prices introduced against man accused of plotting racist capturing in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime prices have been introduced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort stores.

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two comfort 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 nationwide origin of the folks contained in the shops.

“No person must be afraid to buy or go to work in our group. Nor should folks have to worry that they may be violently attacked due to the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan mentioned 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's being charged below the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully trigger bodily harm, or try to take action utilizing a harmful weapon due to the victim’s precise or perceived race, color, faith or national origin.

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

The costs towards Foxworth come within 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 Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Division is dedicated to utilizing all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney Common 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 first time in about eight years that hate crime prices have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace advised ABC Information.

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.