FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is investigating Thursday’s shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, as a potential act of terrorism and has deployed the Joint Terrorism Task Force to assist local authorities.
Patel said on X that FBI personnel are working alongside local law enforcement following the attack on the university campus.
An armed individual opened fire earlier Thursday inside a classroom in the university’s business school building, Constant Hall, leaving one person dead and two others wounded, according to Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton.
Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Federal prosecutors previously said Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after admitting he attempted to provide support to ISIS.
The person familiar with the matter said Jalloh was released from federal custody in December 2024.
Shelton said officers responded Thursday morning after receiving reports that people were being shot inside Constant Hall.
Shelton said officers arrived within minutes and determined the shooter was dead in less than 10 minutes.
Shelton said investigators have not yet determined the full cause of the shooter’s death.
Shelton said all three victims are affiliated with the university.
Sentara Health said two victims were transported by ambulance to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where one later died and another remains in critical condition.
Sentara Health said a third victim arrived in a personal vehicle at the Sentara Independence emergency department in Virginia Beach and was treated and released.
Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp, public information officer for U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, told The Associated Press that two of the wounded victims are members of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Old Dominion.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on X that agents were assisting the response at the scene.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said on social media that she was monitoring the situation and that state support was being mobilized to assist the university.
Authorities have not said whether the attack is connected to broader geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran, though federal officials have warned in recent weeks about the potential for extremist or lone-actor violence in the United States during periods of international instability.
Old Dominion University said about an hour after the shooting that there was no longer an active threat on campus.
The university canceled classes and suspended operations on its main campus through Friday while authorities continue investigating the shooting.
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