Full story
What happened, timeline
A shooting occurred on the morning of March 12, 2026, inside Constant Hall — the College of Business building — at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, when a gunman opened fire in a classroom and was later found dead.
“Around 10:43 a.m., police received calls about an active-shooter on ODU's campus. A gunman had opened fire in Constant Hall.”
Police received calls about an active shooter shortly before 10:50 a.m. and multiple agencies including ODU police, Norfolk police and emergency personnel responded immediately; the university later issued an “all clear” and canceled classes for the day.
Officials said the scene was secured within minutes of the initial call, but campus operations remained suspended and authorities continued investigating at the scene.
Casualty reports conflict
Initial accounts of casualties were inconsistent as investigators raced to establish facts: officials ultimately reported one person killed and two others wounded, but the university and police initially described only two injured and later disclosed a third victim who self-transported to a hospital.
Sentara Health and hospital spokespeople described the two admitted patients as critically injured before later updates described them as stable, while multiple news outlets reported that one of the victims later died.
The evolving figures and timing of hospital reports produced conflicting early tallies that authorities said they were still clarifying.
Shooter identity, dispute
There is disagreement and uncertainty in reporting about who killed the shooter and the shooter’s background: some official sources said it was unclear how the assailant died, while other reports — including the FBI via wire services — said ROTC students at ODU subdued and killed the attacker.
“It wasn’t immediately clear how the shooter died. He did not acknowledge whether any officers fired a weapon.”
Separately, two outlets cited senior law enforcement officials and court records identifying the suspect as 36-year-old Mohammed Bailor Jalloh of Sterling, Virginia, and reporting a prior 2016 conviction for attempting to provide material support to ISIS; authorities said they had not yet determined the shooter’s motives.
The FBI also said it was treating the attack as an act of terrorism while investigators continued to probe the circumstances.
Official reactions, campus response
University and local officials described the episode as a tragedy, praised the swift response of law enforcement and activated campus resources for students and families, while state and federal officials pledged assistance.
ODU President Brian O. Hemphill called it a “tragic day” and thanked first responders; Gov. Abigail Spanberger said her administration was monitoring the situation and mobilizing state support; Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot and other officials publicly lauded the rapid police response.
The university canceled classes and suspended operations through Friday, established a family information center, and made counseling available as investigators continued to gather information and the FBI joined the probe.