Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who opened fire at Old Dominion University in Virginia on Thursday killing one person and injuring two others, was released early from federal prison after completing a drug treatment program. The FBI is investigating the shooting as terrorism.
Key Takeaways
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire at Old Dominion University in Virginia on Thursday, killing one person and injuring two others. He was released early from federal prison after completing a drug treatment program. The FBI is investigating the shooting as terrorism due to his ties to ISIS.
- Mohamed Bailor Jalloh killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC leader, and wounded two others
- ROTC students subdued Jalloh during the attack
- One of the injured has been released from the hospital; the other is in fair condition
- FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the investigation as an act of terrorism
- Jalloh was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone and former Army National Guard member
The shooter, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, had previously been convicted of providing material support to ISIS and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was transferred from a prison facility to a residential reentry center in August 2024 and released from federal custody on Dec. 23, 2024.
Jalloh had been taking online classes at the university at the time of the shooting. According to court records, he was on probation when he attacked Old Dominion University on Thursday. A probation officer visited Jalloh’s Sterling home every six months and last saw him in November.
The FBI is investigating the attack as terrorism due to his ties to ISIS and actions during the attack. The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. Thursday, when Jalloh entered an Old Dominion classroom, yelled 'Allahu Akbar,' and started shooting. ROTC students subdued him.
Jalloh killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC leader, and wounded two others. FBI officials praised the students’ bravery for preventing further harm. One of the people wounded has since been released from the hospital while Sentara Health said the other person is in fair condition. Jalloh was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone who served as a specialist with the Virginia Army National Guard until 2015, when he was honorably discharged.
In 2017, he pleaded guilty to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State group, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released early after completing a drug treatment program. It remains unclear how he qualified for such programs or other sentence-reducing credits since inmates serving sentences for terrorism-related offenses typically aren’t eligible.
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