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

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

19 May 2022, 13:58

• 3 min learn

Hate crime costs have been introduced against a person accused of planning to fatally shoot prospects and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience shops.

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two comfort stores at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Both stores were open for enterprise.

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

“No individual ought to be afraid to buy or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor should folks have to fret that they might be violently attacked due to the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Lawyer Ryan Ok. Buchanan mentioned 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 below the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily harm, or try to take action utilizing a harmful weapon due to the sufferer’s precise or perceived race, shade, faith or nationwide origin.

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

The costs towards 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 Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to utilizing all of the tools in our legislation 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 on the Division 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 in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace told ABC Information.

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

ABC Information' Luke Barr contributed to this report.