ROTC Students Apprehended Shooter at ODU

Written By Brionna Gillis

Courtesy of ODU

ROTC students subdued and killed an Old Dominion University gunman, according to officials. 

At Old Dominion University a gunman opened fire, killing an instructor and injuring two other people last Thursday.  Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students at the campus stepped in to subdue and kill the gunman according to officials, per ABC News. 

The suspect, identified as Mohamed Jalloh, a former Army National Guardsman who was convicted of giving material support to ISIS, allegedly attempted to commit a terrorist attack. Jalloh opened fire in Constant Hall, an academic building, around 10:43 a.m. and was found dead minutes after officers arrived, Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said during a press briefing. Virginia Gov. Abigail identified the person who was killed as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, per ABC News. 

The FBI reported that ROTC students were in the classroom when the gunman opened fire. Some students stepped up to subdue him, rendering him “no longer alive.” The FBI special agent in charge, Dominique Evans, did not go into detail as to how the suspected shooter was killed, but said he was not shot. “They basically were able to terminate the threat,” said Evans. 

“I think that their Professor of Military Science and other cadre members trained them well. Our job in the Army is to fight and defend. They showed bravery and honored their oath. Though the event is saddening, I am inspired by those ROTC students,” said Ke’Mya Sutton, a fourth-year psychology prelaw major with a minor in army military leadership. 

Jalloh allegedly walked into the Old Dominion classroom on Thursday and asked if it was a ROTC class, and when someone answered “yes”, he shot the instructor several times according to sources. Students at the university described the moment the gunfire broke out. A sophomore named Jennifer told WVEC that she was waiting for a midterm exam when she heard a group of people saying “get out, get out, get out.” 

“All of sudden we heard a commotion. A lot of people are rumbling and starting to get up. The guy next to me, we looked at each other, we started running, and that’s when we heard, you know, gunshots,” said Jennifer, per ABC News. She commended the university’s quick communication through alerts. 

As of now, there is no longer a threat on campus. Students have returned to campus with operations returning to normal.

Brionna Gillis

My name is Brionna Gillis. I am a graduating senior, journalism major and political science minor from Baltimore, Maryland. Outside of WHOV-TV Digital Team, I am a part of Campus Plus, Contemporary Composer, NABJ, and one of the Digital Editors for the Title III newsletter, just to name a few. I also served as a writer for the Hampton Script. I enjoy reading, particularly romance and fantasy, writing, and listening to music. My enjoyment of writing comes from its form of being another way of self-expression, I don’t always articulate how I am feeling or what I am thinking in the way that I want to, writing allows me to gather my thoughts and put them down on a page. Writing also allows me to relax and get out any negative thoughts that I have been harboring. I also enjoy writing because it allows me to share stories that people have never heard/seen before. My plan after graduating from Hampton is to become a writer for a newspaper or news station and eventually become an investigative reporter.

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