NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A 28-year-old man is facing eight years and six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime, brandishing a rifle and shooting into a vehicle last year.
On the evening of Sept. 3 2023, Daniel Joseph Ferguson Jr. roamed the Alden Heights neighborhood carrying a fully-loaded AR-style rifle.
Court records show that Ferguson began rummaging through a vehicle that was parked in a neighbor’s driveway off Boxwood Circle. The neighbor went outside to confront Ferguson but backed away when Ferguson aimed his rifle at them.
A short time later, Ferguson, who is white, trespassed into a Brazilian family’s backyard while they were holding an evening bible study class. With his rifle pointed in their direction Ferguson said, “Get off my land” and threatened to kill them. The family scrambled to hide from Ferguson as he went around to the front of the home and tapped on the windows with his rifle before leaving.
Not long after, a driver noticed Ferguson standing several feet away from a stop sign. As the vehicle drove off, Ferguson fired one round through its rear window. The bullet missed the driver and lodged in the passenger door, but the driver was injured by shattered glass.