Federal hate crime fees introduced against man accused of plotting racist shooting in Georgia

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime expenses have been announced towards a man accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience shops.

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

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who is white, was motivated to shoot into the stores due to the perceived race, shade or nationwide origin of the folks inside the stores.

“No individual must be afraid to buy or go to work in our group. Nor should people have to fret that they could be violently attacked due to the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ok. 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 but entered a plea.

He's being charged below the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily harm, or attempt to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, coloration, faith or national origin.

Clayton County is a predominantly Black community, making up 72.8% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The fees against Foxworth come in the wake of the mass capturing at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

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 Attorney Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Fortunately nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to utilizing all the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a information conference on the Department of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

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