A Virginia man who became "obsessed" with cable news reports about illegal immigration shot two Latino men in a hate crime.
Douglas Wayne Cornett, 58, pled guilty to hate crime and gun violence charges last week related to the February 2024 shooting of two Latino men at a Virginia gas station.
According to court documents, Cornett shot the two men because he was "pissed" about illegal immigration. He told police that he had "driven around with the same thought" before and asked officers if he could be "charged for my thoughts."
Cornett told police that he fantasized about flying an Apache helicopter gunship and shooting undocumented migrants in an effort to discourage people from crossing the border.
Cornett's roommates told police that he was a heavy consumer of cable news and that he was "kind of obsessed" with stories about immigration.
In February 2024, Cornett was armed with multiple firearms when he began following a man on Interstate 95. Cornett began honking at the man who attempted to let him pass. Rather than pass the man, Cornett continued to follow him.
The man exited the interstate and went to a gas station as Cornett continued to follow him. Cornett's behavior attracted the attention of a second individual who approached to ask why Cornett was following the man.
Cornett responded that he wanted to know how long the man he was following had been in the country. When the man responded, "a year and a half," the second individual relayed the information to Cornett.
Cornett then drew a Sig Sauer P320 handgun and fired six shots, four of which hit the two men. Cornett admitted he shot the men because he believed they were both Latino immigrants.
"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 Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "Every person has a right to live free of the fear of violence and the menace of hate, and my office is committed to eliminating both."
