A man once convicted of offering support to a terrorist group burst into an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion University on Thursday morning and opened fire, killing one person and wounding two others. The students disarmed and killed him.
The FBI later identified the shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. A former Army National Guardsman, Jalloh was sentenced in February 2017 for providing support to the designated foreign terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, more commonly referred by its acronym: ISIL.
A source close to the investigation said Jalloh was heard to shout the Arabic phrase for God is great — “Allahu akbar” — during the attack.
In less than 10 minutes, the shooting was over. Jalloh was dead. And three other people were injured. Two victims were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where one of them died.
U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans identified the man killed as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, the head of the university’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program and a professor of military science.
Shah, a Virginia native and an ODU alumnus, enlisted in the Army in 2003 as an aviation operations specialist. He completed tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, flying an AH-64 Apache and other aircraft. He was awarded a host of commendations, including two Bronze Stars.
At ODU, Shah earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology with a minor in military science. Other degrees included a Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia and a Master of Science in engineering management from the University of Kansas.
A third victim of the shooting went to Sentara Independence, an emergency department in Virginia Beach, was treated and then released. All three victims had affiliations with ODU.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism and wrote on social media that if not for a “group of brave students” other lives would have undoubtedly been lost.
Speaking at a news conference in Norfolk, ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton said 911 operators began receiving calls about the shooting at 10:43 a.m.