Federal hate crime prices introduced in opposition to 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 read

Hate crime prices have been announced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot prospects and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort shops.

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

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

“No person must be afraid to buy or go to work in our community. Nor ought to people have to worry that they might be violently attacked due to the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Legal professional Ryan Ok. Buchanan said 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's being charged underneath 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 using a harmful weapon due to the sufferer’s precise or perceived race, color, faith or national origin.

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

The fees against Foxworth come within the wake of the mass capturing 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 Legal professional Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, however the Justice Division is committed to using all the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

That is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime fees have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office informed ABC News.

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

ABC Information' Luke Barr contributed to this report.