Virginia university didn't know of student's conviction before campus shooting, report says

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia university missed opportunities to learn of a student's terrorism-related conviction before the man opened fire in an ROTC class in March, injuring two students and killing an Army veteran who fought back with “extraordinary heroism,” an investigative report released Tuesday found.

The federal probation officer working with Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, did not share Jalloh’s criminal background with Old Dominion University, despite the serious nature of the offense, according to the report, which was produced by the law firm Cooley on behalf of the university.

Jalloh, who also died in the March attack, had attended the public university in Norfolk beginning in 2007, was suspended in 2010 and reenrolled after his early release from prison in December 2024. He was readmitted to the school in May last year.

No federal or state law enforcement agency reported his prior conviction either, the report said.

State law prohibits the university from inquiring about student criminal history before admission or readmission, according to the report. The university could have asked readmitted students to voluntarily disclose their criminal history but did not at the time, the report said.

The university “had no knowledge of the risk Jalloh posed or his federal terrorism conviction,” the report said. Had officials known, it's likely they would have sought his removal from campus, it said.

“Given that Virginia law requires universities to rely on student self-disclosure, it is even more important that other law enforcement agencies ensure that information that universities need to know to safeguard their students is shared with universities. This critical failure led to tragic consequences here,” the report said.

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.

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.

In March this year, Jalloh entered a classroom and asked whether it was an ROTC class. After students answered affirmatively, he opened fire, according to authorities and the report.

The university’s president said the report also shed new light on the “extraordinary heroism and bravery” shown by the cadets and Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, the instructor who was killed.

Authorities and cadets who were in the room said they stabbed and disarmed Jalloh, the report said.

Shah “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.

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.

While the report noted that the university's police department responded “almost immediately and effectively,” it also recommended improvements to the university's safety and emergency response protocols.