Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC instructor at Old Dominion University (Virginia), was killed in a shooting that occurred in a classroom in the College of Business, according to law enforcement and the university.
Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, a former member of the Virginia National Guard. He entered the classroom and asked if it was an ROTC class. When he received confirmation, Jalloh opened fire, killing Lt. Col. Shah and injuring two others in the shooting at Old Dominion University.
Students in the class quickly subdued the suspect. During the struggle, Jalloh was stabbed by a student and died at the scene.
The FBI in Norfolk said the actions of the ROTC members in the class helped prevent greater casualties. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Norfolk office, Dominique Evans, stated that without the students’ swift response, the consequences could have been far more severe.
Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said the time from when police received the active shooter call to when the response team confirmed the suspect was dead was under 10 minutes.
Lt. Col. Brandon Shah’s record
The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business honored Lt. Col. Shah as someone “beloved by many members of the campus community.” The loss is reminiscent of the murder of a University of Georgia student that previously shocked the public.
His military career included: • Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2003 as an Aviation Operations Specialist; his sacrifice is reminiscent of the case of a 20-year-old U.S. soldier killed while on duty abroad. • Teaching military science at Old Dominion University • Serving as department chair for the university’s ROTC program • Previously serving as Brigade S3 for the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade at Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia
Lt. Col. Shah had participated in flyovers during University of Georgia football games, a familiar sight for sports fans in the state of Georgia.
Information about the suspect
According to the investigation: • Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone • He served in the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 to 2015 at the rank of Specialist • He was subsequently sentenced to federal prison for attempting to provide support to the ISIS organization, part of the government’s terrorism-related investigations. • Released from prison in 2024
The motive for the attack remains under investigation.
