Federal hate crime fees introduced towards man accused of plotting racist capturing in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime expenses have been introduced in opposition to a person accused of planning to fatally shoot prospects and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort stores.

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

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 stores.

“No particular person should be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor should people have to fret that they could be violently attacked because of the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan stated 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 cause bodily injury, or attempt to take action utilizing a dangerous weapon because of the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, color, faith or national 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 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 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 Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to utilizing all of the tools in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Lawyer General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks throughout a information conference at the Department 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 within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace 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.