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

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

19 Could 2022, 13:58

• 3 min read

Hate crime charges have been announced towards a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers 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 stores 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, color or national origin of the people contained in the shops.

“No individual must be afraid to shop or go to work in our neighborhood. Nor ought to people have to fret that they might be violently attacked because of the colour of their skin,” U.S. Attorney 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 but entered a plea.

He's being charged under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully trigger bodily harm, or attempt to do so using a harmful weapon due to the sufferer’s actual or perceived race, color, religion or national origin.

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

The costs in opposition to Foxworth come in the wake of the mass capturing 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 Legal professional General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged on this case, but the Justice Department is dedicated to utilizing all of the tools in our regulation enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”

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

That is the first time in about eight years that hate crime charges have been filed within the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace 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.