A quiet Thursday morning at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia suddenly turned into a terrifying situation after gunfire erupted inside one of the campus academic buildings.
According to authorities, a person was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, on Thursday.
The incident happened around 10:43 a.m. inside Constant Hall, an academic building on campus where classes were in session. Students and faculty immediately scrambled for safety as emergency alerts spread across the university community. Campus police and local law enforcement rushed to the scene within minutes. Officers quickly secured the building and began evacuating students while emergency medical personnel treated victims.
Authorities later confirmed that the shooter had been located shortly after officers arrived. The school shooting was allegedly committed by a former Army National Guardsman who was convicted of giving material support to ISIS, an FBI official told ABC News.
The situation shocked students and faculty across the Norfolk campus. Old Dominion University, a major public institution in Virginia with more than 20,000 students, rarely sees violence of this magnitude.
For many students, the chaos unfolded in seconds. Classes were interrupted. Hallways emptied. Phones lit up with emergency alerts and messages from friends asking if everyone was safe.
However, despite the panic, authorities said first responders moved quickly to contain the situation.
Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton addressed the public during a press briefing shortly after the incident. “The gunman opened fire in Constant Hall, an academic building, around 10:43 a.m. and was found dead minutes after officers arrived,” Shelton said during the briefing.
As investigators began piecing together the events of the morning, new details quickly revealed that the suspect had a disturbing past connected to extremist activity.
Suspect Identified as Mohamed Jalloh, Former Army National Guardsman
Authorities later identified the suspected gunman as Mohamed Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard with a criminal history tied to terrorism charges.
The suspected gunman was identified as Mohamed Jalloh, who was previously convicted in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic militant group.
Federal records show Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2017 after pleading guilty in the federal terrorism case.
He was released in December 2024, according to Bureau of Prisons records. Investigators say Jalloh entered Constant Hall and walked directly into a classroom where an ROTC class was taking place.
Sources say the suspect asked the room a direct question before opening fire.
He allegedly walked into a room and asked if it was an ROTC class, and when someone answered, “yes,” he shot the instructor several times, according to sources.
The sudden attack left the classroom in chaos.
However, officials say several ROTC students immediately stepped in to try to stop the gunman.
Students in the ROTC class fought the shooter, an Army official told ABC News.
Authorities say two of the victims injured in the shooting were members of the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
Two of the victims were members of the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, according to U.S. Army Cadet Command.
Investigators continue to examine the suspect’s movements prior to arriving on campus and whether the attack was premeditated.
While law enforcement has not yet publicly detailed the full timeline leading up to the shooting, officials confirmed the suspect was found dead minutes after officers arrived.
Jalloh’s Previous ISIS-Related Conviction Raises Major Questions
The most disturbing part of the investigation centers on Jalloh’s previous conviction tied to ISIS support. When he pleaded guilty in 2016, Jalloh admitted he had communicated with a member of ISIS who was located overseas who introduced him to an individual in the U.S. who was actually an FBI confidential informant.
According to federal prosecutors, the ISIS member believed Jalloh would assist with a planned terrorist attack.
The ISIS member was believed to be actively plotting an attack and believed Jalloh would assist the informant in carrying it out.
Court documents reveal that during conversations with the undercover informant, Jalloh discussed timing for potential attacks.
During one meeting with the FBI informant, Jalloh was asked about a timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to plan an attack for the month of Ramadan, court records say. Federal authorities ultimately arrested him before any attack could take place.
The case became part of broader efforts by the FBI to stop extremist plots within the United States.
However, Jalloh eventually completed his prison sentence and was released in 2024. Now investigators are working to determine whether his past extremist connections played a role in the Old Dominion University shooting.