Federal hate crime charges announced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist shooting in Georgia

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime costs have been announced against a person accused of planning to fatally shoot prospects and workers 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 stores 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, shade or nationwide origin of the people inside the shops.

“No person must be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to people have to worry that they might be violently attacked due to the colour of their pores and skin,” U.S. Attorney 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 is being charged under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily damage, or try to do so using a harmful weapon because of the victim’s precise or perceived race, colour, religion or nationwide origin.

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

The fees towards Foxworth come within the wake of the mass taking pictures at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

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 Legal professional General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Division is dedicated to using all the instruments in our legislation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

This is the first time in about eight years that hate crime costs have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s Office informed ABC News.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clayton County Police Department.

ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.