DOJ charges Kenya Chapman with illegally arming Old Dominion University shooter

The U.S. Justice Department has filed federal charges against Kenya Mcchell Chapman, a 32-year-old Virginia resident, for illegally arming Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, the gunman responsible for the deadly shooting at Old Dominion University on March 12, 2026.

“Personalized content and ads can also include things like video recommendations, a customized YouTube homepage, and tailored ads based on past activity, like the videos you watch and the things you search for on YouTube”

9news

Chapman faces multiple charges including dealing in firearms without a license and three counts of making false statements during firearm purchases, according to federal prosecutors from the Justice Department's statement and criminal complaint.

ABC News

Chapman allegedly sold a stolen .22-caliber Glock pistol to Jalloh for $100, after stealing the weapon from a vehicle in Newport News approximately one year prior to the shooting.

The charges come in the wake of the attack that left one ROTC instructor dead and two students wounded, with Chapman's arrest providing investigators clarity on how the convicted terrorist obtained the firearm used in the assault.

Chapman's history of firearms violations predates the Old Dominion shooting by several years, revealing a pattern of illegal activity that authorities failed to adequately address.

In 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated Chapman after he allegedly purchased three firearms that were quickly recovered from crime scenes, including two tied to a homicide and another from a drunk-in-public incident.

Al Bayader

Despite this serious pattern, the Biden administration's Justice Department declined to prosecute Chapman at that time, instead opting to issue an informal buyer-warning letter after Chapman admitted to the straw purchases and wrote a letter of apology.

This lenient approach allowed Chapman to continue operating, ultimately leading to the illegal sale of the weapon used in the campus shooting.

Chapman, who holds degrees from the University of Kansas and the University of Georgia, maintained his firearm dealings despite previous warnings and investigations.

The recipient of Chapman's illegal firearm sale, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, was a 36-year-old former U.S. Army National Guard specialist with a troubling criminal history that should have barred him from possessing weapons.

“New: You can now listen to Fox News articles”

Al Bayader

Jalloh, a naturalized American citizen originally from Sierra Leone, served in the Virginia National Guard from April 30, 2009, to April 29, 2015, holding the rank of Specialist when he received an administrative discharge.

His military background made the subsequent terrorist attack particularly shocking.

In 2016, Jalloh pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State and was sentenced in 2017 to 11 years in prison plus five years of supervised release.

Despite being a convicted terrorist ineligible for early-release programs, Jalloh was released from prison in early December 2024 after completing a drug treatment program that allowed inmates to leave prison for up to one year beforehand.

On March 12, 2026, Jalloh walked into an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion University, yelled 'Allahu Akbar' before opening fire, killing instructor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah and wounding two other students before being subdued and killed by ROTC students.

The investigation into Chapman's illegal firearms dealing and the subsequent shooting has revealed multiple systemic failures in the federal justice system's handling of known straw purchasers and convicted terrorists.

According to court documents, Chapman told federal agents that he met Jalloh at work and that Jalloh claimed he needed the gun for protection as a delivery driver.

BBC

Chapman admitted knowing Jalloh had spent time behind bars but denied knowing about his specific felony conviction, which would have made it illegal for Jalloh to possess firearms.

Despite this admission, Chapman continued with the sale.

The FBI's investigation, now classified as a terrorism case, found that Jalloh twice asked those in the ROTC classroom to confirm it was an ROTC event before beginning his attack.

The bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force has been fully engaged with local authorities, providing all necessary resources for the investigation.

Chapman's attorneys have declined to comment on the charges, while federal officials expressed outrage over the chain of events that led to the death of a decorated American military veteran.