A decorated Army helicopter pilot and ROTC instructor was killed Thursday morning when a convicted Islamic State sympathizer opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, before brave military cadets subdued and fatally stabbed the gunman in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, 42, died in the attack at Constant Hall, the university’s business school building, shortly before 11 a.m. on March 12. Two other Army ROTC members were wounded—one remained in critical condition while the other was treated and released.
The gunman, identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans. Jalloh asked if it was an ROTC class before unleashing the attack, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
ROTC students in the classroom immediately fought back, tackling Jalloh and killing him within minutes. One student fatally stabbed the gunman during the struggle, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed.
“The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students showed extreme bravery and courage,” Evans said at a news conference. “The students subdued him and rendered him no longer alive.”
Less than 10 minutes passed between when officers received the call and when they confirmed the shooter was dead, according to Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton.
The attack sent shockwaves through the coastal Virginia campus of approximately 24,000 students, nearly 30% of whom have military affiliations. The university sits near Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval station in the world.
Jalloh’s deadly rampage came more than eight years after he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State terrorist organization. He had served approximately eight years of an 11-year prison sentence before his release on December 23, 2024, and was still on supervised release—comparable to probation—when he carried out Thursday’s attack. That supervised release was scheduled to last until 2029.
A naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone, Jalloh served as a specialist in the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 until early 2016 before receiving an honorable discharge. According to a 2016 FBI affidavit, he told a government informant he quit the National Guard after hearing lectures from radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
During a three-month FBI sting operation in 2016, Jalloh said he aspired to conduct a terrorist attack similar to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that left 13 people dead. He attempted to buy an AR-15 from a Virginia gun store but lacked proper paperwork. He eventually purchased a different assault rifle that was rendered inoperable before he left the store. Authorities arrested him the next day.
At his 2017 sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors requested 20 years in prison, writing that Jalloh showed “how strongly committed he was to the deadly ideology of the Islamic State” by framing murder in religious terms. His lawyers requested just 6½ years. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady, appointed by former President George W. Bush, sentenced him to 11 years plus five years of supervised release.
The weapon used in Thursday’s attack was allegedly stolen from a vehicle in Newport News about a year ago and sold to Jalloh for $100 in cash days before the shooting, according to the Department of Justice. Kenya Chapman, 32, faces federal charges, including making false statements while purchasing a firearm and dealing firearms without a license.
Shah, the slain instructor, enlisted in the Army in 2003 and earned two Bronze Stars while flying Apache helicopters over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe. He logged more than 1,200 flight hours, 600 of them on combat missions. Shah returned to his alma mater in 2022 to lead the ROTC program and was commended in 2023 for increasing enrollment by nearly 50%—from 95 to nearly 140 students.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger praised Shah’s legacy of service: “A devoted ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path.”
Shah’s cousin Rizwan Shah, who also served in the Army, said the family came to the U.S. from Pakistan. Brandon Shah was born in America after his father immigrated to the country. “Up until this point we’ve been a great immigrant story,” Rizwan Shah told reporters. “It’s a horrible and tragic end to his story.”
Jalloh’s sister, Fatmatu Jalloh of Sterling, Virginia, said she last saw her brother two days before the attack and knew nothing about his plans.
The university closed on Friday and provided counseling services to students traumatized by the violence. University President Brian O. Hemphill called it a “senseless act of violence” and pledged that campus safety remains the institution’s top priority.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the shooting is being investigated as terrorism, noting the students’ heroic actions “undoubtedly saved lives.”