CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to a hate-driven shooting that seriously injured two Latino men in February.
Douglas W. Cornett entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, June 18, to two federal hate crime charges involving attempted murder and one count of discharging a firearm during a violent federal offense.
According to court documents, Cornett targeted the men—referred to as “Victim 1” and “Victim 2″—because of his anger toward illegal immigration. The two victims, both residents of Prince William County, were attacked during a disturbing confrontation that unfolded on and near Interstate 95.
The incident began when Cornett followed a box truck driven by Victim 1 to a fueling station. There, a conversation between Cornett and an English-speaking friend of Victim 1 took place. Afterward, Cornett continued to tail the truck to a Sheetz gas station in Thornburg.
Victim 2, alerted by the friend, was already at the Sheetz station and approached Cornett to ask why he was following the other man. Cornett responded by questioning how long Victim 1 had been in the United States. After learning it had been about a year and a half, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six shots.
Victim 1 was struck three times, and Victim 2 was hit once. Both sustained serious injuries.
Cornett fled the scene but later admitted to the shooting during police questioning. He expressed deep frustration over undocumented immigrants and said he had previously fantasized about using violence against migrants to “deter” border crossings.
His housemates confirmed to investigators that Cornett was “obsessed” with media reports about immigration.
Importantly, court documents did not classify either victim as undocumented.
“Crimes like Douglas Cornett’s—acts of hate-motivated violence—victimize not just the individual, but harm families, communities and groups by robbing them of their sense of security,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert in a press release.
Cornett is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13. As part of his plea agreement, he faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison.
