A shooting on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia on Thursday morning left two ROTC cadets with critical injuries, while police are reported to have shot and killed the attacker.
The incident took place around 10:50 Thursday in ODU's Constant Hall. At this point it's not known if the suspect was targeting ROTC cadets in particular, or what the shooter's motive might have been.
ODU sophomore Logan Hayes was in Constant Hall taking a test when the active shooter situation started. He said the fire alarm went off and he ran out of the building. As soon as he got outside, Logan told WAVY, “I heard about a multitude of gunshots go off and people just screaming.”
He added the police response was immediate and that they assured students were somewhere safe.
All classes and operations on the main campus were suspended for the remainder of the day.
Larchmont Elementary, James Monroe Elementary and W.H. Taylor Elementary are placed on secure hold as Norfolk Police respond, Norfolk Public Schools confirmed.
In a statement, NPS said students from nearly every Norfolk high school were on ODU’s campus for a SOAR tour during the incident. Officials said the students were sheltered in place. All of the students were accounted for and safe.
Constant Hall is described as the hub of ODU's business school on the university's website. In addition to the campus ROTC program, almost 1/3rd of the student body is affiliated with the military in some way, according to the university. Norfolk is home to Naval Station Norfolk, which serves as headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command.
Just a couple of hours after the shooting on the ODU campus, police in West Bloomfield, Michigan responded to reports of a car that had struck a synagogue, with shots being fired seconds later.
🚨 DEVELOPING: CAR CRASHES INTO JEWISH SYNAGOGUE IN MICHIGAN - ACTIVE SHOOTER REPORTED
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 12, 2026
• Vehicle deliberately driven into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, officials say
• Reports indicate shots were fired after the crash
• The vehicle caught fire after striking the… pic.twitter.com/lAtCANZZb5
CBS News quoted Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who said that as of 1:35 p.m. local time there had been no injuries confirmed, "except potentially the shooter," but that the suspect was not yet in custody. There is a K-12 school located on the campus, but Fox News has reported that school was not in session at the time of the attack.
There have been unconfirmed reports that the suspect was engaged by security who were already on site at the synagogue, though we don't know any details about what that encounter entailed. Since the start of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, though, some synagogues around the country have had armed security staff in place, and even before hostilities began many American Jews were embracing their Second Amendment rights, as CNN reported in November, 2023.
At this point there has been no confirmation from authorities in either Michigan or Virginia that today's attacks were terrorism-related or connected to the ongoing campaign against Iran, but we'll continue monitoring developments in both states and we'll update this post with new information as it becomes available.
***UPDATE***
Sheriff Bouchard says a suspect in the synagogue attack was indeed taken down by synagogue security.
“At least one individual came to the temple. Security saw him, engaged him in gunfire at the scene,” Bouchard said. “We’re not getting any active stimulus at the moment. We have everything here that we need including, you know medics and tactical gear. We’re looking to see if there’s more than one person. We’re still trying to figure that out.”
***UPDATE***
While the K-12 school located at the synagogue may not have been in session, an early childhood learning center was open, and there were a number of children in attendance. Thanks to the on-site response from the synagogues security team, no injuries have been reported to any of those children, and parents have been allowed to enter the building and take their kids home.
Oakland County Sheriff Bouchard has also provided more details about the attack itself.
Bouchard said a man drove through the doors of the building and down a hallway, and that security engaged the suspect with gunfire. Bouchard would not say how the suspect died.
No students or staff were injured in the incident, Bouchard said. One of the lead security personnel who was hit by the vehicle and "knocked unconscious" was taken to an area hospital for treatment and is expected to be okay, Bouchard said.
Bouchard said something inside the suspect's vehicle ignited, and that out of an abundance of caution, investigators are clearing the vehicle for IED explosives.
Officials in Norfolk also provided updates at a 2 p.m. news conference, where they delivered the tragic news that one of the victims in this morning's shooting has passed away.
ODU officials say two people were injured as a result, they were both initially reported to be in critical condition. During the press conference, officials said another victim took themselves to a hospital, their condition is not currently known.
Officials added that one victim has died after the shooting. Two other victims are still receiving treatment and were described as being: "stable."
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi — whose wife works at ODU — said there will be more incidents like this unless gun control measures are passed by lawmakers. He could not speak to more details in this case.
It is not currently known whether this was a targeted attack, officials said during the press conference. Norfolk police will lead the investigation into this shooting.
Fatehi can stuff it, as far as I'm concerned. What these two incidents have demonstrated is that, the faster the armed response, the more lives that are saved. Old Dominion University is a "gun-free zone," but that fact didn't stop the attacker from targeting students on campus. Thankfully the police response was very fast, but if there had been any students or staff in the building who were lawfully carrying at the time the killer might have been put down before police ever arrived.
Democrats like Fatehi can't wait to use shootings like this as an excuse to strip Americans of our fundamental right to self-defense. I'm appalled by his comments, but I'm not even remotely surprised by his effort to turn today's tragedy into an argument in favor of disarming us and making us defenseless.
***UPDATE***
News: I'm reliably informed that the alleged attacker of Old Dominion in is Mohamed Jalloh, the same Jalloh who was previously convicted of providing support to ISIL. https://t.co/oZnsEvPBOv
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) March 12, 2026
This has not been confirmed officially, but I've known Karol for years and consider her to be a trusted and reliable source of information. If this does prove to be true, then Fatehi's demand for more gun control is even more idiotic. Jollah was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison in February, 2017, and isn't eligible to legally purchase or possess a firearm. According to the Bureau of Prisons, Jollah was not in federal custody as of December, 2024, so it is at least possible that Markowicz's reporting is accurate.
***UPDATE***
NBC News also reports that Jalloh was behind the shooting at ODU in Norfolk, Virginia today.
BREAKING | NBC News: A man previously convicted of providing material support to ISIS, Mohammad Jalloh, and recently released from prison has been identified as the shooter at Old Dominion earlier today, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter say.
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) March 12, 2026
***UPDATE***
We already know that good guys with guns took down the shooter in Michigan. According to the New York Post, a good guy with a blade, not campus police, was responsible for stopping the attack at Old Dominion University.
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, stormed into a classroom inside ODU’s Constant Hall and asked if it was an ROTC class. When someone confirmed that it was, he opened fire, shooting the professor several times, law enforcement sources said.
A heroic ROTC student jumped into action before more damage was done, stabbing Jalloh to death after the crazed suspect gunned down the class instructor, the sources said.
That cadet deserves a medal, and my guess is the Trump administration will do whatever it needs to do to make sure that happens.
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