Federal hate crime expenses announced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist capturing in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime charges have been introduced towards a man accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort shops.

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

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who's white, was motivated to shoot into the stores because of the perceived race, coloration or national origin of the people inside the shops.

“No individual should be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor ought to individuals have to fret that they may be violently attacked because of the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Ok. 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 yet 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 trigger bodily injury, or attempt to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon due to the victim’s actual or perceived race, colour, religion or national origin.

Clayton County is a predominantly Black group, making up 72.8% of the population, in line 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, supermarket.

The 18-year-old suspect in Buffalo shot and killed 10 individuals, 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 Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Division is committed to utilizing all the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

This is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime charges have been filed in 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 News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.