Ex-ISIS convict opens fire at ODU; ROTC students subdue and kill attacker

A gunman entered a classroom at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 12, 2026, and opened fire, killing the class instructor and injuring two other students before Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students in the room physically subdued and killed the attacker. The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the gunman as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a 36-year-old former Virginia Army National Guard member who had previously been convicted in federal court of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State militant group and released from federal custody in December 2024.

The shooting occurred at approximately 10:43 a.m. inside Constant Hall, an academic building housing the College of Business at Old Dominion University. Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton stated at a press briefing that Jalloh was found dead within minutes of officers arriving at the scene. FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans, who oversees the FBI’s Norfolk field office, confirmed that the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students in the classroom rendered Jalloh no longer alive. Multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the case stated that one of the students stabbed Jalloh. Evans confirmed Jalloh was not shot.

According to a law enforcement source who briefed CBS News on the incident, Jalloh entered the Constant Hall classroom and asked whether it was a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps class. When a student confirmed it was, Jalloh opened fire directly on the class instructor. The instructor, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, a retired United States Army officer, was fatally injured in the attack. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger publicly identified Lieutenant Colonel Shah and stated that he had not only served the country but had dedicated himself to teaching and leading others to follow that path of service.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Evans stated that the FBI was investigating the Old Dominion University shooting as an alleged terrorist attack. Evans said Jalloh appeared to have been seeking to conduct an attack modeled on the November 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, in which United States Army Major Nidal Hasan killed 13 people at a military processing facility. FBI Director Kash Patel issued a public statement praising the students, saying the shooter was deceased because of a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him and that their actions undoubtedly saved lives alongside the response of law enforcement.

The United States Army Cadet Command, headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky, confirmed in a public statement that two of the injured individuals were members of the Old Dominion University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Delongchamp, public information officer for the United States Army Cadet Command, told the Associated Press that both wounded Reserve Officers’ Training Corps members were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Police Chief Shelton confirmed that all three victims were affiliated with Old Dominion University.

Who was Mohamed Bailor Jalloh and what was his prior conviction for attempting to aid the Islamic State militant group?

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was a 36-year-old naturalized United States citizen originally from Sierra Leone who served in the Virginia Army National Guard from April 2009 to April 2015 as a combat engineer with no overseas deployments. He was honorably discharged at the rank of specialist. A Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in his 2016 criminal case documented that Jalloh told a government informant he had left the Army National Guard after being exposed to lectures by radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-Yemeni propagandist for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who was killed in a United States drone strike in Yemen in September 2011.

In a three-month Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation, Jalloh communicated with an FBI confidential informant he believed to be an Islamic State operative. During those interactions, Jalloh expressed a desire to carry out an attack similar to the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, attempted to donate $500 to the Islamic State, and sought to acquire a firearm. He attempted to purchase an AR-15 at a Virginia gun store but was turned away due to missing paperwork. He returned the following day and purchased a different assault rifle, which was rendered inoperable by the store without his knowledge before he took possession of it. He was arrested the next day.

Jalloh pleaded guilty in October 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, a designated foreign terrorist organization under United States law. He was sentenced in February 2017 to 11 years in federal prison by United States District Judge Liam O’Grady. The United States Department of Justice had sought a 20-year prison term, arguing that Jalloh had made multiple serious efforts to facilitate terrorism and commit murder on United States soil. His defense attorneys sought a sentence of six and a half years. At his sentencing, Jalloh told Judge O’Grady that providing any support to the Islamic State had been the most devastating mistake of his life and apologized to the American military and the people of the United States.

Jalloh was released from federal custody in December 2024, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records, having served approximately seven years of his 11-year sentence. Early release is a standard feature of the federal prison system, where inmates can earn reductions in their sentences through good behavior credits. The specific terms and conditions of Jalloh’s supervision following his release from federal prison had not been publicly disclosed as of March 12, 2026.

Why is the timing of the Old Dominion University shooting during Ramadan significant in the context of the FBI terrorism investigation?

Court records from Jalloh’s 2016 federal criminal case include documented statements in which Jalloh told the Federal Bureau of Investigation confidential informant that he believed the month of Ramadan was the optimal time to carry out an attack. The Old Dominion University shooting on March 12, 2026, occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting and spiritual observance for the world’s Muslim population. The alignment between Jalloh’s previously documented stated preference and the date of the attack has been cited by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the basis for its terrorism classification of the incident.

The Old Dominion University shooting also occurred on the same day as a reported attack on a synagogue in Michigan, although law enforcement officials provided no indication of any known connection between the two incidents. Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot stated at a press conference that investigators had learned nothing to suggest any ongoing threat to the city of Norfolk beyond the incident at Old Dominion University.

How did the Virginia state government and Old Dominion University respond to the shooting at Constant Hall in Norfolk on March 12, 2026?

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger confirmed she had spoken directly with Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill following the incident and that members of the governor’s administration were on the scene coordinating with law enforcement partners. Governor Spanberger confirmed that Virginia State Police had deployed full support to local and federal officials conducting the investigation. The governor publicly named the deceased instructor, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, and acknowledged his years of military service and his role at the university.

Old Dominion University cancelled all classes and suspended campus operations on its main campus in Norfolk for the remainder of March 12, 2026. University officials established a Family Information Center at Chartway Arena on campus and directed students, faculty, and staff to access mental health and counseling resources through Broderick Dining Commons and through the university’s online counseling services platform. Old Dominion University’s Talk Campus application, a 24-hour peer support platform, was made available to the campus community. The university issued an all-clear notification just after noon on March 12, 2026, confirming that the emergency at Constant Hall had ended.

What questions does the Old Dominion University attack raise about post-release supervision of federal terrorism offenders in the United States?

The Old Dominion University shooting is expected to prompt significant legislative and policy scrutiny of the supervision arrangements applied to individuals who have served federal prison sentences for terrorism-related material support convictions. The United States federal material support statute, 18 United States Code Section 2339B, does not automatically impose specialized or enhanced monitoring on individuals following release from custody. Post-release supervision conditions are determined on a case-by-case basis through coordination between the prosecuting United States Attorney’s office, the sentencing federal district court judge, and the federal probation and pretrial services system.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice have faced recurring questions from the United States Congress about the adequacy of monitoring arrangements for convicted terrorism offenders who complete their federal sentences and reenter civilian society. The intersection of ideological radicalization, military training, and prior terrorism conviction in the Jalloh case is likely to become a focal point in those ongoing congressional and executive branch discussions about domestic terrorism prevention and post-incarceration monitoring policy.

Key takeaways on what the Old Dominion University shooting means for domestic terrorism policy, federal post-release supervision, and campus security in the United States

• Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, physically subdued and killed gunman Mohamed Bailor Jalloh on March 12, 2026, after he opened fire in a classroom at Constant Hall, killing instructor Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah and injuring two other students. The students’ intervention prevented further casualties, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the attack as an alleged act of terrorism. Jalloh had previously been convicted in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State militant group and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. He was released from federal custody in December 2024 after serving approximately seven years.
• Court records from Jalloh’s 2016 case document his stated preference for conducting an attack during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month during which the Old Dominion University shooting occurred. The Federal Bureau of Investigation cited this alignment as part of the basis for its terrorism investigation.
• Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill all issued statements in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Virginia State Police, the Norfolk Police Department, and the Old Dominion University Police Department coordinated the on-scene response.
• The attack at Old Dominion University is expected to intensify congressional and executive branch debate about the federal government’s post-release supervision of individuals convicted of terrorism-related material support offenses, and about the security arrangements in place for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs embedded within United States university campuses.