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

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

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

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

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

“No person must be afraid to buy or go to work in our group. Nor should people have to worry that they might be violently attacked because of the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer 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 is being charged under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully trigger bodily injury, or attempt to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon because of the victim’s precise or perceived race, color, faith or nationwide origin.

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

The fees against Foxworth come in the wake of the mass taking pictures 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 Attorney Common Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Division is committed to using all of the tools in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

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