News

West End shooting suspect allegedly gloated about incident in texts

By James Cullum

(Updated at 5 p.m.) A 26-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly shooting a man in the head in the West End on September 21.

Cornell Bangura was arrested on October 5, driving a maroon-colored Volkswagen Passat.

The incident occurred at around 1:15 p.m. in the parking lot at The Mason At Van Dorn Apartments at 251 S. Reynolds Street. Security video footage showed that a maroon-colored vehicle registered to Bangura pulled into the apartment complex property just four minutes before the 911 call, according to a search warrant affidavit.

A witness, who said he was cleaning his car, told police that the suspect knocked on the victim’s first floor patio window, and then saw the suspect and the victim yell at each other, according to the affidavit.

A witness told police that Bangura left the argument, walked to his car and then returned to the patio and fired five or six gunshots, according to the affidavit. The witness hid behind a trash can and said that the suspect got into a maroon-colored Volkswagen and drove away in the direction of S. Van Dorn Street.

A witness then heard the victim cry out that he was injured, and found the victim in the apartment with a handgun in his hand and a wound to his head. The victim threw down the gun when the witness walked in, and the witness drove the injured man to the hospital, according to the affidavit.

At the hospital, the victim told police that the suspect shot him “out of nowhere,” and that the apartment was not his, that it belonged to Bangura’s ex-girlfriend. After the shooting, Bangura allegedly boasted about it in text messages to the woman.

Bangura was charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and shooting into an occupied building.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.