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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime fees have been introduced towards a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience shops.

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

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

“No particular person needs to be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor ought to people have to worry that they may be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan K. Buchanan mentioned in a statement.

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 is being charged beneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully trigger bodily injury, or try to do so using a dangerous weapon because of the victim’s precise or perceived race, shade, religion or nationwide origin.

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

The charges 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 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 Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, however the Justice Department is dedicated to using all of the instruments in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Attorney Normal for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks throughout a information convention on the Division 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. 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.