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

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been announced towards 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 stores had been open for enterprise.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who's white, was motivated to shoot into the shops because of the perceived race, shade or national origin of the individuals contained in the shops.

“No particular person should be afraid to buy or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to people have to fret that they could be violently attacked due to the color of their skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ok. 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 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 trigger bodily injury, or attempt to take action using a harmful weapon because of the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, shade, religion or national origin.

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

The fees against Foxworth come within the wake of the mass taking pictures 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 Lawyer Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all the instruments in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

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

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.