Federal hate crime charges introduced against man accused of plotting racist capturing in Georgia

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been announced in opposition to a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and employees 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. Each shops were open for enterprise.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who is white, was motivated to shoot into the stores because of the perceived race, coloration or nationwide origin of the individuals contained in the stores.

“No person needs to be afraid to buy or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to people have to fret that they may be violently attacked because of the color of their pores and skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Okay. 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 but entered a plea.

He is being charged underneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily injury, or try to do so using a harmful weapon because of the victim’s precise or perceived race, colour, faith or nationwide origin.

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

The charges towards Foxworth come within the wake of the mass capturing at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

The 18-year-old suspect in Buffalo shot and killed 10 folks, 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 General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Fortunately no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to utilizing all of the instruments in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Lawyer General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks during a information conference on the Division of Justice, Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

This is the first time in about eight years that hate crime fees have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace instructed 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.