UGA Grad Identified As ROTC Instructor Killed In VA College Shooting

NORFOLK, VA — The ROTC instructor who died after a gunman opened fire Thursday inside a classroom at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, was a graduate of the University of Georgia.

Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was teaching a ROTC course when authorities said Mohamed Bailor Jalloh entered his classroom and started shooting. Two others were injured in the attack before students subdued and killed Jalloh, authorities said Thursday.

Shah attended ODU as an ROTC student, where he received his bachelor's degree, according to his biography on the university's website. He earned his master's degree from UGA’s Terry College of Business, which named him a Terry Trailblazer in 2022.

Following his time at UGA, Shah returned to ODU in 2022 to lead the ROTC program. Since then, enrollment has increased nearly 50%, according to an ODU profile.

“We do in one office everything the university does,” Shah said in the profile. “We recruit. We train. We educate. We develop.”

In the Army, Shah flew helicopters over Iraq, Afghanistan and Eastern Europe as a pilot. Shah also received numerous military commendations, including two Bronze Stars, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

The military, he said, “has given me a lot of opportunities. I’ve lived on four continents, been on five. I love flying and being around people who like to work.”

Authorities identified Jalloh as the shooter on Thursday and confirmed he pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was on supervised release when the ODU shooting occurred.

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Jalloh is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone. The Virginia Army National Guard also confirmed he served as a specialist from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged.

The shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.

The FBI said Jalloh aspired to conduct a terrorist attack like the 2009 killings at Fort Hood. He had yelled “Allahu Akbar” before the shooting, according to authorities.

Initial reports said two people were injured on Thursday morning after the shooting in Constant Hall, the university's business school building. A spokesperson for Sentara Health told The Associated Press that both victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition.

At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton said a third victim took themselves to a hospital in Virginia Beach for treatment, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

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 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.

Old Dominion University canceled classes and operations on the school's main campus for the remainder of Thursday. Classes were also canceled on Friday.

In a message to the university community, ODU President Brian Hemphill expressed gratitude for the swift emergency response and extended his thoughts and prayers to those impacted.

Located in coastal Norfolk, Old Dominion University has about 24,000 students, 17,500 of them undergraduates. The school has around 240 degree programs, and is known for its research spending and doctoral programs. Nearly 30% of its students are military-affiliated, according to the university website. The area is also home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval station in the world.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.