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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime fees have been introduced in opposition to a person accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience shops.

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

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

“No individual needs to be afraid to buy or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to individuals have to fret that they might be violently attacked due to the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Ok. Buchanan said 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 yet 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 damage, or try to do so using a harmful weapon because of the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, color, religion or nationwide origin.

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

The costs towards Foxworth come in 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 Legal professional General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’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 tools in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

That is the primary time in about eight years that hate crime expenses have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s Office told ABC Information.

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.