A former National Guardsman, who had aligned himself with ISIS, was identified as the shooter fatally shot after firing at Old Dominion University.
The gunman, 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, unleashed gunfire within the Norfolk, Virginia campus on Thursday morning, as confirmed by multiple news sources.
Reportedly, Jalloh, once a soldier in the National Guard, entered a classroom and inquired whether it was a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) session, according to The New York Post.
Upon receiving confirmation from someone present, he began shooting at the professor. A student responded by fatally stabbing Jalloh, sources revealed.
The professor, a retired officer, was immediately taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, according to the same sources.
Originally from Sierra Leone and a U.S. citizen, Jalloh was released from incarceration in 2024. He had been imprisoned for trying to provide information to ISIS and ISIL back in 2015.
He was sentenced to 11 years behind bars in 2017 which was to be followed by five years supervised release.
Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said officers responded after receiving reports that people were being shot in one of the classrooms.
Jalloh, seen here, opened fire inside the Norfolk, Virginia , school on Thursday morning
Police arrive outside Old Dominion University’s campus after reports of an active shooter on Thursday
Officials confirmed on Thursday that two other victims remain injured after the shooting
Jalloh, a U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone, was released from prison in 2024 after being caught attempting to hand information to ISIS and ISIL in 2015
Officials confirmed on Thursday that two other victims remain injured after the shooting. One of the victims brought themselves to a hospital.
The two surviving victims appear to be in stable condition and added that authorities are ‘very early’ in the investigation.
Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp, public information officer for the U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, said the two people wounded are members of ROTC.
He said: ‘We will continue to coordinate with the university and law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incident. There’s still a lot more stuff we have to work out.’
Within about an hour of the shooting, ODU declared that there was no longer a threat on the campus.
The public university in Norfolk canceled classes and suspended all operations on its main campus through Friday and urged people to avoid the area of the shooting.
In a message to the university community, ODU President Brian Hemphill said the school faced a tragedy on campus.
He expressed gratefulness for the swift emergency response and thoughts and prayers to those impacted.
Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years behind bars in 2017 which was to be followed by five years supervised release
Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said officers responded after receiving reports that people were being shot in one of the classrooms
Bystanders are evacuated from Old Dominion University’s campus after reports of an active shooter
Hemphill said: ‘We are deeply committed to safeguarding all Monarchs and ensuring a secure learning, living, and working environment at all times.’
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on the social platform X that it had agents on scene supporting the response.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said that she was monitoring the situation and that ‘state support is being mobilized’ to help ODU. She didn´t provide specifics.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that personnel from his agency are working with the local authorities who responded to the shooting.
