As a freshly 21-year-old junior in college, I’ve seen a lot in my life. I went through a lockdown in middle school where there was dangerous activity near the school. I’ve been in lockdown in high school for hours when there was a student with a gun, related to gang activity.Â
This is my third year at Old Dominion University (ODU), where multiple guns have already been pulled out and used to threaten students. I never thought I would have to be afraid again to walk around campus — to walk outside my room.
There have been way too many instances where a firearm has been pulled out on campus, threatening residents and students on ODU’s campus, causing bodily harm and/or emotional harm. Coming from LIS Virginia Law, it states, “The university’s employees, students, and volunteers are prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university property,” (Possession of Weapons Prohibited). So, there should be no firearms on campus unless they are being handled by law enforcement.Â
On March 12, 2026, multiple calls were made to 911 reporting an active shooter at ODU at 10:43 a.m. ODU PD, Norfolk PD, Chesapeake PD, Suffolk PD, Virginia Beach PD, the Conservation Police, and the FBI all swarmed the campus in a matter of minutes. Social media platforms were blowing up, friends texting each other, making sure they’re safe. The sirens were loud and clear. This was not something to be taken lightly. WTKR3 sent a crew to the scene to broadcast what was happening here at ODU, here at our campus, here at our home.Â
The events that have taken place in such a short amount of time here on campus are scary, unnecessary, and most of all, dangerous. The feeling that your life could potentially be taken from you or from your friends and loved ones shouldn’t be a thought that crosses our minds. Everyone scrambled over campus once the first notice about someone having a gun spread. People running, hiding, rushing to their phones to figure out if this was a real deal or not, and sadly, it was.
The incident took place in one of the lecture halls, Constant Strome College of Business, where a gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former national guard member and enrolled as an ODU student, walked into a ROTC class and shot a professor, Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah. Jalloh was reported yelling “Allahu akbar” before opening fire on the classroom, then being subdued by ROTC students, injuring two who were sent to a local hospital. One student is recovering at home now, and the other is still in the hospital recovering swiftly.Â
The all clear was given at 12:05 p.m., and President Brian O. Hemphill released a statement about what was going on shortly after the all clear. Hemphill stated, “Earlier today, March 12, 2026, Old Dominion University faced a tragedy on our main campus. I am grateful for the swift response of our police officers, emergency management personnel, and our partners at the City of Norfolk, who promptly assisted the injured.”Â
Hemphill states in another message, “And, while this tragedy has changed us as individuals and as an institution, we will continue to focus on providing a safe and supportive environment, while also sharing updates as new information emerges.” The school has announced that Constant Hall will be closed for the remainder of the semester. The Registrar’s office is diligently working to move those classes and activities to other buildings.Â
In 2016, Jalloh was sentenced to prison for 11 years after pleading guilty to “providing support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State group,” and was released about two and a half years early, in 2024 (Wavy News 10). First enrolling at ODU in 2013, Jalloh was able to re-enroll at Old Dominion University in the summer of 2025 after serving federal time because Virginia Law prohibits public universities from asking applicants about their criminal history. Furthermore, a man named Kenya Chapman allegedly stole the firearm used during the attack one year prior in Newport News and then sold it to Jalloh a few days before the shooting at ODU. Chapman is now facing federal charges for his connection with the weapon to the shooting.Â
WAVY News interviewed Kevin Diaz, a freshman at ODU, saying, “This is definitely a traumatic event, and everything is just off, no people walking out after what happened, and no one wants to be out, you know.”Â
In another interview, a freshman, Avalove Daimiwat reported, “I felt like everything just changed… It’s the next day, and everything feels like a new day now, but it’s hard to forget about it” (Wavy News 10). Their article talks more about how students reacted when it happened.Â
However, this is not the first incidence of gun violence on campus. In the 2024-2025 academic school year, there were a few incidents where a gun was pulled out in a dorm building, threatening residents. Alerts from ODU PD on Feb. 26, 2025, reported a shooting at Broderick Dining Hall, right next to all of the freshman dorms. The conflict started inside the dining hall, where many residents and students were eating and conversing. During this night, two individuals were shot and killed. A few days later, on March 2, 2025, ODU sent out an alert that an individual pulled out a handgun at the Student Recreation Center (SRC) around 7 p.m. The SRC is located in the quad of campus, right next to the freshman dorms, and less than a 5-minute walk to the dining hall. Chatter around campus of people fleeing the SRC area became evident that there was a threat. WAVY News posted on their Instagram that the suspect was arrested two days later.Â
When will the next tragedy happen? When is the next time I will be afraid for my life on my college campus, the next time I feel like I will be texting my loved ones for the last time? Students should feel safe being able to walk on their campus. Having counseling sessions held at a place where a year ago there was a shooting, multiple students have expressed how unhelpful that is. We need real measures to take place — real change to happen. College should feel like our home away from home — no matter how far it is. From one ODU student to another, your feelings are real, the dangers are real, I see and hear you, because I feel it as well. Those who were affected emotionally, time is our friend and enemy. Let us give our prayers and thoughts to Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah’s family and those who were injured.