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

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been announced in opposition to a man accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and workers 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 had been open for enterprise.

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

“No individual must be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor should folks have to fret that they may be violently attacked because of 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 but 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 cause bodily harm, or try to do so using a dangerous weapon due to the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, colour, religion or nationwide origin.

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

The charges against Foxworth come within the wake of the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.

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 Lawyer General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all of the instruments in our legislation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Legal professional Basic for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during 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 in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office informed 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.