ROTC students at Old Dominion University subdued and killed shooter who left 1 dead, 2 hurt

A former Army National Guard member who had spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State opened fire on a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University on Thursday before ROTC students subdued and killed him, authorities said.

He had yelled “Allahu Akbar” before the shooting, which left one person dead and two wounded, according to the FBI.

Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, said at a news conference that the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students showed “extreme bravery and courage” and prevented further loss of life by stopping the gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh.

The students subdued him and “rendered him no longer alive,” Evans said. “I don’t know how else to say it.” She confirmed Jalloh wasn’t shot but didn’t provide further details.

The campus shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media.

Background on the gunman

Evans said Jalloh aspired to conduct a terrorist attack like the 2009 killings at Fort Hood.

Jalloh had pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released from federal custody in December 2024.

Ashraf Nubani, a Virginia attorney who repres...