Federal hate crime fees announced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist taking pictures in Georgia

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been introduced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two comfort shops at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Each shops have been open for enterprise.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who's white, was motivated to shoot into the shops due to the perceived race, shade or nationwide origin of the folks contained in the shops.

“No person must be afraid to shop or go to work in our group. Nor should individuals have to worry that they might be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Ok. 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 under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully trigger bodily damage, or try to do so utilizing a harmful weapon due to the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, shade, religion or national origin.

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

The fees 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 Lawyer Common 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 Department is dedicated to using all of the instruments in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

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

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.