ODU ROTC Cadets Describe Killing ISIS‑Convicted Gunman Who Shot Instructor
Army ROTC cadets at Old Dominion University have given their first detailed public account of the March 12 classroom shooting in Norfolk, Virginia, in which previously convicted ISIS supporter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah before being subdued and fatally wounded. Cadets Louis Ancheta and Wesley Myers say Jalloh entered the ROTC class, nervously confirmed it was ROTC, shouted "Allahu Akbar" and opened fire on Shah, who immediately lunged at him to stop the attack. As Shah grappled with the gunman, Ancheta says he was hit by a stray bullet but continued fighting, repeatedly stabbing Jalloh with a pocket knife while other cadets rushed in, disarmed him, and then switched to combat casualty care for their wounded instructor and classmates. Several cadets describe believing they “could have been next” had Shah not charged the shooter, and recall feelings of guilt and questioning whether they could have done more after learning later that day that Shah had died from a chest wound. Their accounts, released in a War Department video and highlighted by Fox News, underscore both Shah’s actions as viewed by his students and the extent to which basic ROTC combat‑care and leadership training translated into a real‑world response to a pro‑ISIS attacker on a U.S. campus.
📌 Key Facts
- Shooter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, previously convicted of providing material support to ISIS, opened fire in an Old Dominion University ROTC classroom on March 12, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah and injuring two others before being killed at the scene.
- Cadets say Jalloh entered the room asking if the class was ROTC, then shouted "Allahu Akbar" and began shooting after Shah confirmed it was.
- Cadet Louis Ancheta reports being struck by a stray bullet yet continued to stab Jalloh with a pocket knife while Shah grappled with him, as other cadets helped disarm the attacker and immediately render combat care to the wounded.
- Cadets describe believing Shah’s decision to lunge at the shooter likely saved others in the front row, with several later wrestling with whether they could have done more after learning their professor died.
- An earlier March 22 ceremony saw Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer honor the ODU cadets’ actions, but this piece is the first to relay their own detailed narratives of the attack.
📊 Relevant Data
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, the shooter, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Sierra Leone in 1989 and immigrated to the United States.
Jalloh SOF — U.S. Department of Justice
The civil war in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002 displaced over 2 million people and led to significant refugee immigration to the United States, with U.S. policies such as refugee resettlement programs facilitating entry for individuals like Jalloh during the 1990s.
Immigration from Africa to the United States: key insights from recent data — PMC (PubMed Central)
Among individuals convicted of ISIS-related offenses in the U.S. from 2014 to 2023, approximately 64% were U.S. citizens (including naturalized), with immigrants comprising about 36%, and the majority being male and under 30 years old.
ISIS in America — George Washington University Program on Extremism
Recidivism rates for individuals convicted of jihadist terrorism offenses in the U.S. are low, with only about 3.5% reoffending in terrorism-related activities post-release, compared to over 50% for general federal offenders.
An Examination of Jihadi Recidivism Rates in the United States — Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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