NORFOLK, VIRGINIA | PUBLIC SAFETY | November 4, 2026
Quick Take
- Posts claiming a shooting happened at Old Dominion University “today” are recirculating, but the attack took place on March 12, 2026.
- The FBI identified the gunman as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, a former Virginia National Guard member previously convicted of trying to support ISIS.
- Army Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC instructor, was killed and two others were wounded before students stopped the attacker.
What’s happening?
A social media post describing the Old Dominion University shooting as breaking news is spreading again this week. There has been no new shooting at ODU. The post refers to an attack that happened nearly eight months ago and was investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism.
The renewed attention has brought back questions about how a man with a federal terrorism conviction was released early and was able to get a gun.
Where and when?
The shooting happened shortly before 10:49 AM on Thursday, March 12, inside Constant Hall, home to ODU’s College of Business. According to law enforcement sources, the gunman walked into a classroom and asked whether it was an ROTC class. The FBI said he shouted “Allahu Akbar” and opened fire.
Shah, 42, chaired ODU’s military science department and was himself an ODU alumnus. ROTC cadets in the room subdued the gunman, who died at the scene. The FBI said he was not shot by police. The university issued an all-clear at 12:10 PM.
By the Numbers
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| People killed | 1 |
| People wounded | 2 |
| Shooter’s age | 36 |
| Original prison sentence | 11 years |
Who was the shooter?
Jalloh, of Sterling, Virginia, was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone. He served as a combat engineer in the Virginia National Guard from 2009 to 2015.
He was arrested in July 2016 after an FBI investigation and pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Court records show he sent money to an undercover FBI employee he believed was an ISIS member. He was sentenced in 2017 to 11 years in prison, but officials said he was released early in December 2024 and placed on supervised release.
Who feels it most?
The ODU community, especially its ROTC program, lost a respected leader. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger described Shah as a devoted ROTC instructor, and Voorhees University in South Carolina, where his family has close ties, also mourned him.
Students who were in the classroom faced the gunman directly. FBI Director Kash Patel credited them with stopping the attack and saving lives.
What comes next?
Federal prosecutors charged Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, with selling Jalloh the gun the night before the shooting. Investigators said Chapman had stolen the weapon from a vehicle in Newport News a year earlier. He has since pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license and making false statements on gun purchase forms.
Readers should check dates and official sources before sharing posts about shootings, since old incidents are often reshared as breaking news.
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