Virginia Shooting: One Dead, Two Injured as Ex-National Guard Member Opens Fire at Old Dominion University Classroom

A former member of the Army National Guard who had previously served prison time for attempting to support the Islamic State carried out a shooting inside a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia on Thursday. Authorities said the attacker, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, opened fire before being overpowered and killed by students enrolled in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). The incident left one person dead and two others injured. Investigators stated that the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar” before starting the attack. Officials later credited the swift action of ROTC students with preventing the situation from escalating further and limiting the number of casualties on campus.

FBI Praises ROTC Students for Bravery

Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, praised the ROTC students for their swift and courageous response. Speaking during a press briefing, Evans said their decisive actions likely prevented further loss of life. According to investigators, the students managed to restrain the gunman and ensured he was no longer alive. Evans clarified that Jalloh was not shot but declined to reveal further details about how he died. Authorities said the incident is being treated as a possible act of terrorism, a classification also referenced by FBI Director Kash Patel in a statement shared on social media following the shooting.

Gunman Previously Convicted for Islamic State Links

Investigators revealed that Jalloh had earlier expressed a desire to carry out an attack similar to the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide support to the Islamic State group and received an 11-year prison sentence. At the time of Thursday’s attack, he had been released and was under supervised release, which functions similarly to probation. Officials have not clarified why his prison term ended earlier than expected. Although inmates can sometimes have their sentences shortened for several reasons, authorities said it remains unclear whether that occurred in this case.

Lawyer and Family React to the Incident

Ashraf Nubani, the lawyer who represented Jalloh during his 2016 case, said he had not communicated with his former client for years and had no knowledge of the events that unfolded on Thursday. In a statement, Nubani said the loss of life was tragic and emphasised that harming innocent people contradicts Islamic teachings as well as fundamental human morality. Meanwhile, Jalloh’s sister, Fatmatu Jalloh of Sterling, Virginia, said she was unaware of any involvement by her brother. She added that she had last seen him two days earlier and was confused and shocked by the reports.

Shooter Neutralised Within Minutes

Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said the emergency response was extremely rapid. Officers received reports of gunfire inside the university’s business school building and arrived quickly at the scene. Shelton stated that fewer than ten minutes passed between the initial call and confirmation that the gunman was dead. Authorities are still working to determine the exact cause of his death. Shelton also did not confirm whether any police officers discharged their weapons during the confrontation, noting that the investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.

Two Injured Victims Were ROTC Cadets

Officials confirmed that two of the individuals wounded in the shooting were part of the university’s Army ROTC programme. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Delongchamp, a public information officer with the U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, said ROTC allows students to attend college on scholarships while training to become commissioned officers in the military. Participants agree to serve as officers after graduating. The programme is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in the armed forces while they pursue their academic studies.

Victim Identified as Army Officer

Authorities identified the person who died in the attack as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah. Voorhees University in South Carolina confirmed that Shah was the son-in-law of one of its trustees. Shah had previously attended Old Dominion University as an ROTC student and returned in 2022 to take on a leadership role within the programme. According to his biography on the university’s website, he served as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army and flew missions across Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of Eastern Europe during his military career.

Gunman’s Military Service and Background

Officials said Jalloh was originally from Sierra Leone and later became a naturalised citizen of the United States. The Virginia Army National Guard confirmed that he served as a specialist from 2009 to 2015 before receiving an honourable discharge. According to a 2016 FBI affidavit, Jalloh told a government informant that he left the Guard after listening to sermons by radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Investigators also discovered that he had made contact earlier that year with individuals connected to the Islamic State group in Africa.

Undercover Investigation Revealed Attack Plans

Court records describe a three-month undercover investigation during which Jalloh discussed plans for a violent attack similar to the Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people in 2009. During conversations with an informant, he allegedly said he was considering carrying out such an attack. Investigators also said the Islamic State group had asked if he wanted to participate in an operation. Jalloh attempted to send $500 to support the organisation, but the funds were actually directed to an account controlled by the FBI as part of the sting operation.

Attempt to Purchase Assault Rifle

Prosecutors said Jalloh later tried to buy an AR-15 rifle from a gun store in Virginia but was initially denied because he lacked the necessary paperwork. He returned the following day and purchased another rifle that had been modified to prevent it from firing. Authorities arrested him the next day. In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department requested a 20-year prison sentence, arguing that he had attempted to obtain a weapon to carry out a deadly plot within the United States.

Court Sentencing and Conditions of Release

Jalloh’s lawyers argued for a shorter sentence of around six and a half years and asked that he be placed in a facility offering drug rehabilitation treatment. Prosecutors, however, maintained that he had framed his plans for violence in religious terms, suggesting that killing members of the U.S. military would earn spiritual rewards. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady eventually sentenced him to 11 years in prison along with five years of supervised release. The judge also ordered him to participate in substance abuse and mental health programmes.

Letter Expressing Regret Before Sentencing

Before his sentencing hearing, Jalloh wrote a letter to the judge expressing remorse for his actions. In the letter, he said he began using drugs after his girlfriend ended their six-year relationship and admitted that he allowed emotions rather than rational thinking to guide his decisions. Jalloh stated that he deeply regretted becoming involved with the Islamic State and insisted that he rejected terrorism and any organisations associated with extremist violence.

University Suspends Classes After Shooting

Following the incident, two people were taken to hospital for treatment. Sentara Health confirmed that one victim remained in critical condition while the other was treated and later discharged. In response to the shooting, Old Dominion University cancelled classes and suspended operations on its main campus through Friday. University President Brian Hemphill thanked emergency responders for their swift actions and extended his thoughts and prayers to those affected by the tragedy.

Campus With Strong Military Presence

Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, has a student population of around 24,000. The institution notes that nearly 30 percent of its students have connections to the military community. The surrounding region also hosts Naval Station Norfolk, widely recognised as the largest naval base in the world. The strong military presence in the area has contributed to the popularity of programmes such as ROTC at the university, which prepares students for future service in the armed forces.