For the first time, the courageous students who intervened during an active shooter incident at Old Dominion University are sharing their experiences. Their brave actions helped stop a gunman who tragically took the life of a respected professor and community figure.
The shooter, Mohamed Jalloh, had a previous conviction for providing support to the Islamic State terror group. On Thursday, March 12, he opened fire at the university, resulting in the death of one individual and injuries to two others.
When law enforcement arrived on the scene that Thursday, Jalloh was found deceased.
The victim was Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a much-loved professor of military science. During a press briefing, FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans praised the students present at the scene for their actions in subduing the gunman.
Louis Ancheta and Wesley Myers, both cadets at Old Dominion University, recounted their efforts to neutralize the attacker who claimed the life of Lt. Col. Shah during the shooting that took place in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 12.
Reflecting on the incident, the students acknowledged that the day had started just like any other until the tragic events unfolded.
During the class period, a student said a man they didn’t recognize, later identified as Jalloh, walked into the classroom and repeatedly and nervously asked if this class was ROTC.
“I wasn’t thinking about what that question really meant,” said Cadet Louis Ancheta.
Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was identified as the instructor killed in Thursday’s deadly shooting at Old Dominion University. (US Army)
As Shah confirmed the class was ROTC, Cadet Wesley Myers, who was in class that day, said Jalloh shouted “Allahu Akbar” and began shooting at Shah.
Instincts immediately kicked in and Shah lunged toward the gunman, according to the students.
As Shah wrestled with the gunman, Ancheta leaped into action, taking a pocket-knife and repeatedly stabbing Jalloh.
“If he didn’t lunge at him, I wouldn’t be here right now,” said Cadet Jah-Ira Utarte, who was sitting in the front row of the classroom at the time, said in an interview released by the Department of War. “There’s a possibility he could’ve turned his gun and I could’ve been next.”
In a March 22 ceremony, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer presented honors to Old Dominion University Army ROTC cadets, acknowledging their bravery and sacrifice during a classroom shooting earlier in the month. (Ian Ives/U.S. Army)
Ancheta said during the fighting between his professor and the gunman, he was shot by a stray bullet.
“It really didn’t feel like it hit me,” Ancheta said. He continued to attempt to subdue the gunman alongside Shah and other cadets jumped in.
Once the gun was away from Jalloh, Cadet Jeremy Rawlinson said they immediately switched to combat care.
“It just was what I felt I had to do in that moment, to get there and do what I could,” Myers said. “It’s different when it’s not a mannequin and it’s your friend.”
Cadet Samuel Reineberg said he was “like a laser beam” to Shah, who had been shot in the chest.
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, the individual identified as the shooter at ODU on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (The Intercept)
It wasn’t until later that day, the students found out about Shah’s death.
“There was definitely a sense of, ‘could we have done more?’” Cadet Oshea Bego said.
Shah is regarded as a hero among his students.
“[Shah] used the last of his strength to tackle that guy and it gave us just enough time that we needed to be able to get on [the gunman],” Rawlinson said.
“One of the last things he told my mom when they met this summer was that he would take care of me. He followed through on that word,” Bego said.
“We’re not even commissioned yet and we’re dealing with these threats and pretty much unprecedented attacks,” Bego said.
Brian O. Hemphill, the president of ODU, said the university will be conducting an independent review following the incident in a statement on Thursday. Hemphill described the shooting as a “defining moment” in the university’s history.
“This is not merely a procedural step; it is a moral imperative to ensure the safety and security of every member of our campus community remains first and foremost,” Hemphill said in the statement.
The review will examine “critical procedures,” “overall preparedness” and “[the university’s] response,” according to the release.
