Convicted Terrorist Kills ROTC Instructor at Old Dominion

A gunman with a prior terrorism conviction opened fire in a Reserve Officer Training Corps classroom at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 12, 2026, killing one instructor and wounding two others before students subdued him.

The shooter, identified by federal authorities as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone, entered Constant Hall around 10:43 a.m. and confirmed the room was hosting an ROTC session, according to court documents and witness accounts. He shouted "Allahu Akbar," an Arabic phrase meaning "God is greatest," and fired a .22-caliber Glock 44 pistol, striking Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a retired Army officer and ROTC instructor, who died at the scene. Two other Army personnel were hospitalized, one in critical condition. Federal Bureau of Investigation officials described the incident as an act of terrorism but found no explosives or connection to broader international conflicts, such as the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions.

ROTC students acted swiftly to intervene, rushing Jalloh and subduing him within minutes, one using a knife to fatally stab him before police arrived four minutes after the initial...