Federal hate crime costs introduced in opposition to man accused of plotting racist taking pictures in Georgia

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

19 Might 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime expenses have been introduced in opposition to a person accused of planning to fatally shoot clients and workers of two Jonesboro, Georgia, comfort shops.

Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two comfort shops at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Each shops have been open for business.

The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who's white, was motivated to shoot into the shops because of the perceived race, colour or nationwide origin of the folks inside the shops.

“No particular person should be afraid to buy or go to work in our group. Nor should people have to fret that they may be violently attacked because of the colour of their skin,” U.S. Lawyer 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 beneath the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily injury, or attempt to do so utilizing a dangerous weapon because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, faith or nationwide origin.

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

The charges in opposition to 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 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 Attorney Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully nobody was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all of the instruments in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

U.S. Assistant Legal professional General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke speaks throughout a information 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 costs 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 Division.

ABC Information' Luke Barr contributed to this report.