Old Dominion University shooting suspect Jalloh an ex-soldier freed after 11 years of jail time

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA: The man identified by authorities as the suspect in a shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU) that left one person dead and two others wounded had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to an extremist group based in the Middle East. 

According to various media reports, the suspect has been identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. He had served in the Army National Guard and was sentenced in 2016 to 11 years in prison in a federal case.

He was released from federal custody in December 2024.

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh: Old Dominion University shooter

A 2016 press release from the US Department of Justice said that Jalloh, who was from Sterling, Virginia, was arrested on July 3, 2016, on charges related to attempting to provide material support to a violent group operating in Iraq and the Levant.

According to the criminal complaint, prosecutors said that Jalloh sought to assist the group by helping acquire weapons he believed would be used in an attack on US soil carried out in the name of the group.

Investigators also alleged that he attempted to send money to support individuals trying to travel abroad to join the organization.

Authorities had said that his arrest followed several months of monitoring by federal investigators.

ODU shooter had history of illegal activity

Federal authorities said that in June 2016, Jalloh travelled to North Carolina and made repeated attempts to obtain firearms, though those efforts were unsuccessful.

On July 2, 2016, he went to a dealership in northern Virginia where he purchased and test-fired a Stag Arms rifle. Investigators had already rendered the weapon inoperable before he left the dealership, according to authorities.

He was arrested the following day, and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized the weapon.

What happened in the shooting at ODU

Authorities said the shooting at ODU left one person dead and two others wounded before the suspect was subdued.

Kash Patel, director of the FBI, said the shooting was under investigation by federal authorities.

"Earlier today, an armed individual opened fire at Old Dominion University, leaving one person dead and two others wounded," Patel wrote on social media.

He said that the suspect was subdued by a group of students before law enforcement arrived, adding that their actions "undoubtedly saved lives" alongside the quick response by officers.

Authorities said the suspect later died. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.