NORFOLK — One person has died and two others were injured in a shooting Thursday morning inside a classroom at Old Dominion University.
The gunman is dead, according to a news release from the university.
Two sources close to the investigation said the shooter was Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Army National Guardsman who was sentenced in February 2017 for providing support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
A source close to the investigation said Jollah barged into one of ODU’s ROTC classrooms and began shooting.
As he barged in, the source said, Jollah was heard to shout “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for God is great.
An Army officer in the classroom at the time was one of the victims of the shooting, the source said. Several students jumped Jollah and managed to disarm him before killing him.
Jalloh was living in Northern Virginia when he pleaded guilty to providing support to ISIL in October 2016, according to a Justice Department press release at the time. He was released from prison in 2024.
According to a statement of facts with Jalloh’s guilty plea, a now-deceased member of ISIL introduced Jalloh to a person in the United States who was serving as a confidential informant for the FBI.
The late ISIL member was plotting an attack in the U.S., believing it would be carried out by Jalloh and the man serving as the informant.
The Justice Department said at the time that Jalloh praised the gunman who killed five U.S. service members in a July 2015 terrorist attack in Tennessee. Jalloh told others he had been thinking about conducting an attack similar to one at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 that killed 12 people and wounded 32.
He was arrested in July 2016 after purchasing an assault rifle at a Northern Virginia gun dealership, the Justice Department said.
The shooting happened just before 10:45 a.m. in a classroom inside Constant Hall, the hub of the university’s college of business, according to ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton.
ODU police, Norfolk police and other emergency personnel responded within minutes, the university said.
Two people in critical condition were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, according to hospital spokesperson Dale Gauding. One of those people later died, Sentara said.
A third person took themselves to a hospital in Virginia Beach, Shelton said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. They were treated and released.
Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp, public information officer for the U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, told The Associated Press that two people wounded were members of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at ODU.
“We will continue to coordinate with the university and law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incident,” Delongchamp said in a brief telephone interview. “There’s still a lot more stuff we have to work out.”
At a news conference Thursday, Shelton wouldn’t discuss how the gunman died.
The shooting is being investigated “as an act of terrorism,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel, who said the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved. Patel also said the gunman was subdued by students.
“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” Patel said in a statement on social media.
An all-clear message was sent to campus just after noon.
A family information center is set up in the Big Blue Room at Chartway Arena. It will be open until 10 p.m. Thursday. Counseling support remains available at Broderick Dining Commons for students, faculty and staff.
ODU has canceled classes and operations on the main campus for the rest of the day. Classes will be canceled Friday, ODU President Brian Hemphill said.
In addition to local law enforcement, federal agents with The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene, according to ATF spokesperson Whitney Cruse-King. ATF agents remained on campus as of 12:15 p.m. and will continue to support the Norfolk Police Department throughout its investigation.
The FBI and its law enforcement partners were also providing assistance, according to a social media post from FBI Norfolk.
Governor Abigail Spanberger said she is closely monitoring the situation.
“I have spoken with university leadership. My Administration remains in close contact with local emergency responders as state support is being mobilized to assist ODU and Norfolk,” Spanberger wrote in a social media post. “I encourage students, faculty, and community members to continue following guidance issued by local law enforcement. I thank all first responders on the scene.”
Students from nearly all of Norfolk’s public high schools were at ODU on Thursday for a tour, according to Norfolk Public Schools. The students sheltered in place and all are accounted for and safe.
In an email Thursday afternoon, ODU President Brian Hemphill said the university faced a “tragedy.”
“I am grateful for the swift response of our police officers, emergency management personnel, and our partners at the City of Norfolk who promptly assisted the injured,” he said in the email.
Just after the shooting, an alert to campus told students, faculty and staff to “follow run-hide-fight protocols.”
Many police and emergency vehicles were seen swarming the school on Hampton Boulevard. Officers armed with rifles were seen heading onto campus.
Hampton Boulevard was completely blocked off by emergency vehicles at 49th Street.
According to ODU’s website, Constant Hall features more than 20 lecture halls and classrooms.
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This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for updates.
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The gunman is dead, according to a news release from the university.
Two sources close to the investigation said the shooter was Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Army National Guardsman who was sentenced in February 2017 for providing support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
A source close to the investigation said Jollah barged into one of ODU’s ROTC classrooms and began shooting.
As he barged in, the source said, Jollah was heard to shout “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for God is great.
An Army officer in the classroom at the time was one of the victims of the shooting, the source said. Several students jumped Jollah and managed to disarm him before killing him.
Jalloh was living in Northern Virginia when he pleaded guilty to providing support to ISIL in October 2016, according to a Justice Department press release at the time. He was released from prison in 2024.
According to a statement of facts with Jalloh’s guilty plea, a now-deceased member of ISIL introduced Jalloh to a person in the United States who was serving as a confidential informant for the FBI.
The late ISIL member was plotting an attack in the U.S., believing it would be carried out by Jalloh and the man serving as the informant.
The Justice Department said at the time that Jalloh praised the gunman who killed five U.S. service members in a July 2015 terrorist attack in Tennessee. Jalloh told others he had been thinking about conducting an attack similar to one at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 that killed 12 people and wounded 32.
He was arrested in July 2016 after purchasing an assault rifle at a Northern Virginia gun dealership, the Justice Department said.
The shooting happened just before 10:45 a.m. in a classroom inside Constant Hall, the hub of the university’s college of business, according to ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton.
ODU police, Norfolk police and other emergency personnel responded within minutes, the university said.
Two people in critical condition were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, according to hospital spokesperson Dale Gauding. One of those people later died, Sentara said.
A third person took themselves to a hospital in Virginia Beach, Shelton said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. They were treated and released.
Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp, public information officer for the U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, told The Associated Press that two people wounded were members of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at ODU.
“We will continue to coordinate with the university and law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incident,” Delongchamp said in a brief telephone interview. “There’s still a lot more stuff we have to work out.”
At a news conference Thursday, Shelton wouldn’t discuss how the gunman died.
The shooting is being investigated “as an act of terrorism,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel, who said the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved. Patel also said the gunman was subdued by students.
“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” Patel said in a statement on social media.
An all-clear message was sent to campus just after noon.
A family information center is set up in the Big Blue Room at Chartway Arena. It will be open until 10 p.m. Thursday. Counseling support remains available at Broderick Dining Commons for students, faculty and staff.
ODU has canceled classes and operations on the main campus for the rest of the day. Classes will be canceled Friday, ODU President Brian Hemphill said.
In addition to local law enforcement, federal agents with The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene, according to ATF spokesperson Whitney Cruse-King. ATF agents remained on campus as of 12:15 p.m. and will continue to support the Norfolk Police Department throughout its investigation.
The FBI and its law enforcement partners were also providing assistance, according to a social media post from FBI Norfolk.
Governor Abigail Spanberger said she is closely monitoring the situation.
“I have spoken with university leadership. My Administration remains in close contact with local emergency responders as state support is being mobilized to assist ODU and Norfolk,” Spanberger wrote in a social media post. “I encourage students, faculty, and community members to continue following guidance issued by local law enforcement. I thank all first responders on the scene.”
Students from nearly all of Norfolk’s public high schools were at ODU on Thursday for a tour, according to Norfolk Public Schools. The students sheltered in place and all are accounted for and safe.
In an email Thursday afternoon, ODU President Brian Hemphill said the university faced a “tragedy.”
“I am grateful for the swift response of our police officers, emergency management personnel, and our partners at the City of Norfolk who promptly assisted the injured,” he said in the email.
Just after the shooting, an alert to campus told students, faculty and staff to “follow run-hide-fight protocols.”
Many police and emergency vehicles were seen swarming the school on Hampton Boulevard. Officers armed with rifles were seen heading onto campus.
Hampton Boulevard was completely blocked off by emergency vehicles at 49th Street.
According to ODU’s website, Constant Hall features more than 20 lecture halls and classrooms.
___
This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for updates.
L // A
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