ROTC Commander Dies Shielding Cadets From Gunman at Old Dominion University

Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah warned his cadets just two days earlier not to wear their uniforms around campus. On March 12, 2026, he used his body to shield them from a gunman inside Constant Hall at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Shah, 42, the Professor of Military Science and head of ODU's Army ROTC Monarch Battalion, lunged at the shooter the moment he opened fire. Shot in the upper thigh, he did not survive. Two others affiliated with the university were also wounded.

The gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, entered the classroom as cadets prepared to leave, asked if the class was ROTC, then opened fire when someone answered yes, shouting "Allahu Akbar," according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans of the Norfolk field office. Jalloh was killed in the incident, subdued by the cadets themselves.

In a 17-minute video posted by Army ROTC on April 9, cadets recounted the attack in their own words. Cadet Jah-Ire Urtarte said Shah's lunge was decisive: "If he didn't lunge at him, you know, I wouldn't be here right now. There's a possibility he could've turned his gun and I could've..." One cadet described moving in immediately: "So, I just go in there, just start stabbing him. As I'm stabbing, other cadets jump in." Cadet Jeremy Rawlinson drew his knife as well. Even with several cadets on top of him, Jalloh held the gun. Cadet Wesley Myers pried it free by squeezing his fingers between Jalloh's hand and the grip, then cleared the final round from the chamber. The magazine was empty; only that one round remained. Cadet Samuel Reineberg applied first aid to a gunshot wound victim; others improvised a tourniquet from a belt for Shah. Evans praised the cadets' "extreme bravery and courage," saying: "Brave ROTC members in that room subdued him, and if not for them, I'm not sure what else he may have done."

The attack exposed a critical failure in federal supervision. Jalloh, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone, served as a combat engineer in the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 to 2015 before traveling to Libya and attempting to join ISIS. Sentenced in 2017 to 11 years in federal prison for providing material support to the group, he was released roughly two and a half years early in 2024 after completing a drug treatment program, despite terrorism convicts being technically disqualified from that benefit. He was on probation for the terrorism charge at the time of the attack and was also taking online classes at ODU. Evans said investigators believe Jalloh's fixation on violent extremism carried directly into the targeted strike on the ROTC gathering.

Shah's career reflected the service he demonstrated in his final moments. He enlisted in 2003, earned his commission at ODU in 2007, and returned to lead the Monarch Battalion in 2022, overseeing a nearly 50% enrollment increase in his first year. He logged more than 1,200 flight hours, including more than 600 combat hours over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe, earning the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge among his decorations.

A funeral was held at ODU on March 22. Katherine Shah received a folded American flag. She said: "I truly believe Brandon knew exactly what he was doing in those final moments. He was protecting people." ODU President Brian Hemphill vowed to review safety protocols. Governor Abigail Spanberger said Shah "didn't just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path." How a convicted terrorism offender on active probation obtained a firearm and accessed a university campus remains the question those reviews will need to answer.