2 injured and gunman dead after shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia, school says
WTKR, CNN
By Rebekah Riess, CNN
(CNN) — Two people are injured and a gunman is dead after a shooting inside an academic building at Old Dominion University in coastal Virginia Thursday morning, according to the school.
The shooter was “neutralized” after the person opened fire shortly before 10:50 a.m. at Constant Hall on campus in the port city of Norfolk, the university said in online alerts.
An “all clear” has since been given. “There is no longer an active threat to the campus community,” the university said.
The two people injured were in critical condition and taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Jennifer Lewis, a spokesperson for the hospital, said.
University police, Norfolk police and emergency personnel responded immediately to the incident, the university said.
The university has canceled classes and operations on its main campus for the rest of the day, the university said. 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.
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.”
Students, faculty and staff were being provided with lunch and counseling support after the shooting, a message from university President Brian Hemphill said. “I extend my thoughts and prayers to those impacted by the incident, as well as the entire campus and the broader community,” the message reads in part.
FBI personnel were “providing assistance and working with local authorities responding to the shooting,” FBI director Kash Patel said in a post on X. ATF special agents have also responded, the federal agency told CNN Thursday morning.
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.
