A Georgia man was sentenced to 240 months in prison after he was charged with shooting into two convenience stores in an attempt to kill Black and Arab people, according to the Department of Justice.
Court records say Larry Edward Foxworth, 48, fired numerous rounds from a Glock pistol through a window and door of a gas station convenience store located in Jonesboro, Georgia in July of 2021. He used the same weapon to fire into another convenience store nearby just minutes later. No one was injured in either shooting despite the store being occupied.
Foxworth was arrested shortly after the second attack. He admitted to police that he hoped to kill his targets.
“Foxworth used a firearm to commit a brazen and heinous hate crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia.
“He fired repeatedly into convenience stores in his effort to kill those inside based solely on the color of their skin. This abhorrent act of violence and intimidation left the victims, their families, and the community traumatized, and merits the prison sentence Foxworth received. The Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously prosecute hate crimes.”
“Hopefully this lengthy sentence proves that the FBI will not tolerate intimidation and violence against anyone because of their race or ethnicity,” said Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of FBI Atlanta Field Office. “The FBI’s Civil Rights Program will continue to use every resource available to ensure criminals, like Foxworth, that commit bias-motivated violent crimes are held accountable and removed from our streets.”