RICHMOND, VA (AP) – A report released Tuesday shows Old Dominion University did not ask a student about his criminal history before or after readmitting him, that before he opened fire in an ROTC class in March that injured two students and killed Army veteran instructor and Charlottesville native, Lt. Col. Brandon Shah.
The report obtained by the Associated Press notes Shah fought back with what the investigation called “extraordinary heroism.”
State law prohibited the university from inquiring about student criminal history before admission or readmission, according to the report.
That student, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State and the report says his probation officer also failed to share that detail with the university.
Had the university known about Jalloh’s criminal history, the report says it’s likely officials would have sought his removal from campus.
Jalloh, who also died in the incident, attended the public university in Norfolk beginning in 2007, was suspended in 2010 and was readmitted to the school last year, after his early release from prison in December 2024.
Citing academic research, the report noted there are a relatively small number of terrorism defendants on supervised release, “and it should be feasible to ensure that those defendants are closely supervised.”
Officials with the FBI, which the report said investigated Jalloh’s original offense, didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment about the report’s findings.
Paul Arnett, the chief U.S. probation officer for Virginia’s eastern district federal court, reached briefly by phone, requested questions about the report’s findings in writing, which the AP provided. Several hours later, he had not responded.
The report noted that among the standard conditions of Jalloh’s release was one requiring that he “notify third parties of risks that may be occasioned by his criminal record or personal history or characteristics” as directed by his probation officer.
Jalloh, a former member of the Virginia National Guard, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty in 2017 to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State group, according to prison records. He completed a drug treatment program that allowed him early release from federal prison.
On March 12, Jalloh waited outside the ROTC classroom for 13 minutes as other students passed him, the report said. Then he entered, asked whether it was an ROTC class and after students answered affirmatively, he opened fire, according to authorities and the report. It appears he acted alone, the report said.
The investigation also highlighted what it called the “extraordinary heroism and bravery” shown by the cadets and Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, the instructor who was killed. The report said their actions prevented further loss of life.
Shah, who was shot multiple times, “immediately grappled with the attacker, which allowed other brave students to come to his aid and many other students to escape unharmed,” the report said. Authorities and cadets who were in the room said they stabbed and disarmed Jalloh, the report said.
Cadets tried to save Shah’s life but he died at a hospital, the report said.
Family members of Shah could not immediately be reached for comment. An Old Dominion graduate and former Army pilot, he flew hundreds of hours on combat missions before returning to the university to lead the Army ROTC battalion, according to a biography published by the university.
