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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime fees 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 convenience shops at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Each shops had been 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 individuals inside the stores.

“No particular person must be afraid to buy or go to work in our group. Nor ought to individuals have to worry that they may be violently attacked because of the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Ok. Buchanan said 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's being charged underneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily harm, or attempt to take action using a dangerous weapon due to the sufferer’s precise or perceived race, color, religion or nationwide origin.

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

The fees in opposition to Foxworth come within the wake of the mass shooting 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 nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

That is the first time in about eight years that hate crime costs have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace informed ABC Information.

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.