An Army lieutenant colonel who instructed Old Dominion University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps was killed on campus Thursday when a shooter opened fire in his classroom.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger confirmed the shooting victim was Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, who enlisted in the Army in 2003 and received his Army commission in 2007 after graduating from ODU. Shah led the ROTC program at the Norfolk, Virginia, university since 2022.
“A devoted ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path,” Spanberger said in a post on X. “I am grateful for his example, deeply saddened by his death, and praying for his family.”
Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. He yelled “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire, killing Shah and wounding two others, according to the FBI.
Jalloh had been in the Army National Guard and pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was released from federal custody in December 2024.
ROTC students subdued and killed Jollah, according to the FBI. They “rendered him no longer alive,” Evans said. “I don’t know how else to say it.”
She didn’t provide further details except to confirm the gunman wasn’t shot. She praised the students for their “extreme bravery and courage,” saying they prevented further loss of life.
According to his university profile, Shah had earned a bachelor’s degree from ODU, an MBA from the University of Georgia and a master’s in engineering management from the University of Kansas.
He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as on a rotation to Atlantic Resolve.
Shah logged more than 1,200 hours flying three different aircraft, 600 of those hours in combat missions. One of his past assignments was overseeing modernization efforts for attack helicopters as part of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment.
Shah also held commands in the A/1-3 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, A/3-17 Air Cavalry Squadron and B/603 Aviation Support Battalion. His service assignments included the 101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, XVII Airborne Corps, United States Forces-Iraq and 3rd Infantry Division.
Shah earned the Senior Army Aviator Badge, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Valor, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal and numerous campaign and unit awards.
In a 2023 article on the ODU website, Shah is quoted as saying the military “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.”
The campus shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.
The gun Jollah used had an obliterated serial number, potentially complicating investigators’ efforts to determine how a man with a previous felony conviction obtained a firearm, according to a law enforcement official.
