Fatal shooting at Virginia university is being investigated as an act of terrorism, FBI says

By Rebekah Riess, Holmes Lybrand, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

(CNN) — The FBI is investigating a fatal shooting at Old Dominion University in coastal Virginia as an act of terrorism and the suspect has been identified as a man who was previously jailed for attempting to support an Islamic terror group, according to multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case.

The 36-year-old suspect, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, is a former Army National Guard member who served nearly seven years in prison after pleading guilty to trying to aid ISIS, the sources confirmed.

One victim is dead and two others were hospitalized after a shooting inside an academic building at the university Thursday morning, the school’s police chief said.

The assailant, later identified to CNN by sources as Jalloh, also is dead after the shooting at Constant Hall on campus in the port city of Norfolk, university Police Chief Garrett Shelton said at a news conference Thursday afternoon, without elaborating on how the assailant died.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in an X post the agency is “now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism.”

“Earlier today, an armed individual opened fire at Old Dominion University, leaving one person dead and two others wounded,” he said. “The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement.”

All three victims were affiliated with the university, Shelton said, without elaborating. No names were immediately released, and Shelton said police still were trying to contact the dead victim’s family.

The university earlier had said two people were injured in the shooting and the assailant was dead. The chief did not elaborate on the victims’ injuries.

The shooting at Constant Hall – the school’s main building for the College of Business – happened just days before a weeklong school break is scheduled to begin on Monday. After the shooting, the university canceled classes and operations on its main campus for the rest of Thursday and Friday.

“Our campus and our community have been truly shaken and forever impacted by this senseless act of violence, and we want to extend our thoughts and prayers to the families and the victims and those that were impacted by this act today,” university President Brian Hemphill said during Thursday’s news conference.

Police started to receive calls about the shooting at 10:43 a.m.; police officers arrived four minutes later; and by 10:50 a.m. “it was determined that the … assailant was deceased,” Shelton said.

An “all clear” was eventually given, the university said in online alerts. “There is no longer an active threat to the campus community,” the university said.

Old Dominion student Zachary Mulder had just left class in Constant Hall and was reading a book in a building across the way when a large group of people ran in “screaming ‘shooter’ and ‘gun’,” he said.

“My heart dropped. I didn’t really know what was going on. I just know I had to leave immediately,” Mulder told CNN affiliate WTKR. “It was pretty scary at that point, because I didn’t know really what was going on or how close the threat was.”

Two victims were taken to Norfolk General Hospital, Shelton said. Police later learned a third victim “took themselves to a hospital in Virginia Beach,” Shelton said.

Students, faculty and staff were being provided with lunch and counseling support after the shooting, an online message from Hemphill, the university president, said.

State support also was “being mobilized” to assist the university and Norfolk police, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said in a post on X. “I have spoken with university leadership. My administration remains in close contact with local emergency responders.”

Initially, the university had reported an “active threat” at Constant Hall on its website. “Follow Run-Hide-Fight protocols. Emergency personnel responding. Avoid area,” an emergency alert from the university read.

Old Dominion University is a public institution with around 24,000 students, according to the school. It is located in Norfolk, some 90 miles southeast of Richmond and a 200-mile drive southeast of Washington, DC.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Devon Sayers, Toni Odejimi and Heather Holley contributed to this reporting.