When a gunman opened fire at Virginia’s Old Dominion University, on Thursday, killing an instructor and injuring two other people, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students stepped in to subdue and kill the suspect, officials said.
The suspect, identified as Mohamed Jalloh, a former Army National Guardsman who was convicted of giving material support to ISIS, allegedly was trying to commit a terrorist attack, FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans told reporters.
The gunman opened fire in Constant Hall, an academic building, around 10:43 a.m. and was found dead minutes after officers arrived, Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said during a press briefing.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger identified the person who was killed as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah.
Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was a professor of military science and ROTC instructor at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
ODU
“A devoted ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path,” Spanberger said in a statement on social media.
Shah was a veteran Army aviator and a professor of military science in the ROTC program at ODU, where he also completed his bachelor’s degree, according to his biography on the university website.
The FBI said ROTC students were in the classroom when the gunman opened fire and stepped in, rendering him “no longer alive.”
Police arrive outside Old Dominion University’s campus after reports of an active shooter on March 12, 2026, in Norfolk, Va.
John Clark/AP
Evans, the FBI special agent in charge, would not go into detail as to how the suspected shooter was killed, but said he was not shot. “They basically were able to terminate the threat,” she said.
The suspected gunman was identified as Mohamed Jalloh, who was previously convicted in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Mb Jalloh/Facebook
Jalloh allegedly walked into the Old Dominion classroom on Thursday and asked if it was an ROTC class, and when someone answered, “yes,” he shot the instructor several times, according to sources. Evans alleged he shouted “Allah Akbar” during the incident.
Jalloh was previously convicted in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic militant group and sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2017. He was released in December 2024, according to Bureau of Prisons records.
He served in the Virginia Army National Guard as a combat engineer from April 2009 to April 2015. He had no deployments. He left the Army as a specialist, which is a junior rank a soldier achieves automatically within four years.
When he pleaded guilty in 2016, Jalloh admitted he had communicated with a member of ISIS who was located overseas, who introduced him to an individual in the U.S. who was actually an FBI confidential informant.
In this photo released by the Norfolk Police Department, first responders are shown at the scene of a shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 12, 2026.
Norfolk Police Department
The ISIS member was believed to be actively plotting an attack and believed Jalloh would assist the informant in carrying it out. During one meeting with the FBI informant, Jalloh was asked about a timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to plan an attack for the month of Ramadan, court records say.
Prosecutors had recommended Jalloh serve 20 years in prison. It’s not immediately clear why he was released before the end of his 11-year sentence, though it is not unusual in the federal prison system for inmates to be released before serving their full term of imprisonment.
Students at the university described the moment the gunfire broke out.
A sophomore named Jennifer told ABC Hampton, Virginia, affiliate WVEC that she was waiting for a midterm exam when she heard a group of people saying, “get out, get out, get out.”
“All of a sudden, we heard a commotion. A lot of people rumbling, starting to get up,” she said. “The guy next to me, we looked at each other, we started running, and that’s when we heard, you know, gunshots.”
She commended the university’s quick communication through alerts, saying, “I’m very, very proud of how quick the situation was handled.”
Old Dominion University Chief of Police Garrett Shelton speaks at a press conference on March 12, 2026, in Norfolk, Virginia.
WVEC
Shelton, the university police chief, told reporters that the investigation was still ongoing and they were combing through the campus for clues.
Evans said there was only one weapon found on the suspect.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the bureau is treating the shooting as “as an act of terrorism,” and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will be working with local police in the investigation.
There’s no longer a threat, the university said, adding that classes are canceled for the rest of the day and Friday.
“Today was a tragic day for the campus of Old Dominion University,” Old Dominion President Brian Hemphill told reporters.
