The deceased victim in Thursday's Islamic State-connected shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, has been identified as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a US Army veteran and ROTC instructor.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, in a post on X/Twitter, described Shah as "a devoted ROTC instructor."
Shah served as an Army pilot, flying operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe. He graduated from the university in 2007 and returned in 2022 to instruct the Army ROTC Monarch Battalion.
The FBI identified the perpetrator of the shooting as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the US Army National Guard.
Jalloh had been sentenced to 11 years in prison after supporting and attempting to supply the Islamic State. He was released in December 2024.
The FBI is investigating the Thursday morning Hampton Roads area attack as an act of terrorism.
Details of the shooting
The shooter had shouted "Allahu akbar" before opening fire inside a university classroom, killing Shah and injuring two others.
Jalloh was found dead by authorities after he was subdued by students. His cause of death was not disclosed, though the FBI stated it was not due to gunfire.
“He was not shot,” noted FBI Special Agent Dominique Evans, who further commended the actions of the students who subdued the attacker.
"If not for them, I’m not sure what else he may have done,” said Evans. “The students showed extreme bravery and courage by containing the shooter and stopping further loss of life.”