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Federal hate crime charges have been brought down against a Georgia man who allegedly targeted two convenience stores in a predominately Black county, ABC News reports.
In July 2021, Larry Edward Foxworth, a white man, is alleged to have repeatedly shot at two Jonesboro, Georgia stores with the intent to kill employees and customers inside.
The hate crime charges publicized on Thursday (May 19) claim Foxworth's shooting was racially-charged. The stores said to have been targetted by Foxworth are located in Clayton County, where Black people make up almost 73 percent of the population, the U.S. Census Bureau reports.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan announced that the alleged shooter would be charged with two counts of committing a federal hate crime and discharging a firearm to commit a violent crime. Foxworth hasn't entered a plea for the charges.
“No person should be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor should people have to worry that they may be violently attacked because of the color of their skin,” Buchanan said in a statement.
The Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act makes it a federal crime to attempt to or cause injury on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin.
Attorney Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said, “Hate-fueled violence has no place in a civilized society." Clark added, “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”
The Clayton County Police Department is continuing to investigate the case in partnership with the FBI.
This follows Buffalo's mass shooting where 10 people were killed in a racially-motivated attack, officials say.
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