A deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia on Thursday has drawn national attention after authorities revealed that the suspect, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, had previously been convicted in a terrorism-related case involving the Islamic State group.
Witnesses reported that the 36-year-old suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” shortly before opening fire inside a classroom on the university’s campus in Norfolk. Federal investigators later confirmed that Jalloh was a naturalized American citizen originally from Sierra Leone who had once served in the Virginia Army National Guard before being convicted of supporting ISIS.
The gunfire erupted during a morning class session in one of the university’s buildings, sending students and staff scrambling for safety. Authorities said one person was killed and two others were injured before students managed to stop the attacker. The gunman also died during the confrontation.
Officials later identified the victim as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, according to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Shah had previously studied at Old Dominion University and later returned in 2022 to serve as a leader within the school’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, according to The Associated Press.
The two wounded individuals were also members of the military community connected to the ROTC program, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll confirmed in comments reported by NBC News.
Dominique Evans, the FBI special agent in charge of the Norfolk field office, said ROTC-affiliated students intervened and physically subdued the shooter during the attack. Evans explained that the students “rendered him no longer alive,” bringing the incident to an end and preventing further casualties.
Authorities also revealed that Jalloh had an extensive history connected to extremist activity before the shooting.
In 2016, he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a charge involving assistance such as funding, weapons or training provided to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He ultimately received an 11-year federal prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release, according to NBC News.
Court documents showed that Jalloh attempted to send digital gift card codes to a person he believed was associated with ISIS.
Investigators also said he traveled to North Carolina in 2016 seeking to purchase an AK-47 rifle as part of a plan to attack U.S. military personnel. The seller declined to complete the sale, but authorities said Jalloh later bought an AR-15 rifle from another gun store before being arrested the following day.
The original terrorism investigation began after Jalloh communicated with individuals linked to ISIS in Africa and attempted to donate $500 to the organization. The money was instead directed to an FBI-controlled account during the undercover operation.
Before his arrest in the earlier case, Jalloh served as a combat engineer with the Virginia Army National Guard between 2009 and 2015. Military officials said he had no deployments and received an honorable discharge before his arrest in the terrorism case.
Jalloh was released from federal prison in December 2024, less than two years before the shooting at Old Dominion University.
