ROTC students kill gunman at university in Va.

One person died and two were wounded at Old Dominion at the hands of the shooter.

- By JONATHAN MATTISE AND OLIVIA DIAZ

THE MAN authorities identified as the shooter pleaded guilty in 2016 to trying to aid the Islamic State group.

(KENDALL WARNER Virginian-Pilot)

ROTC students subdued and killed a gunman who yelled "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire Thursday in an Old Dominion University classroom, killing one and wounding two, according to the FBI, which said the shooter had been in the Army and pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State.

Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI's Norfolk, Va., field office, said at a news conference that the Reserve Officers' Training Corps students showed "extreme bravery and courage" and prevented further loss of life by stopping the suspect, identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh.

The ROTC students subdued him and "rendered him no longer alive," Evans said. "I don't know how else to say it."

She didn't provide further details about that except to confirm the gunman wasn't shot. She said Jalloh aspired to conduct a terrorist attack like the killings at Ft. Hood in Texas.

The shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.

The students' actions "undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement," Patel said.

Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was released from federal custody in December 2024.

Ashraf Nubani, a Virginia attorney who represented Jalloh in his 2016 criminal case, did not immediately respond to messages Thursday seeking comment.

Jalloh's sister, Fatmatu Jalloh of Sterling, Va., said Thursday she knew nothing about the attack. She said she last saw her brother two days earlier.

"I have no idea what is going on," the suspect's sister said. "I know nothing. I don't even know who to call."