Old Dominion University Shooting Incident
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire in a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University on Thursday. The incident resulted in one person dead and two others injured. ROTC students intervened, subduing and killing Jalloh. The FBI identified Jalloh as the gunman.
The incident resulted in one person dead and two others injured.
Background on Prior Conviction and Release
Jalloh was released from federal custody on December 23, 2024, less than two years before the shooting. In October 2016, he pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State group. A federal judge sentenced him in 2017 to an 11-year prison term, with credit for time served retroactive to his July 2016 arrest.
At the time of the shooting, Jalloh was on supervised release, which was scheduled to run until 2029. The specific reasons for his early release from prison were not immediately clear.
Details of 2016 Sting Operation
Authorities initiated a three-month sting operation in 2016 after Jalloh made contact with members of the Islamic State group in Africa. Jalloh, then 26, confessed to an undercover FBI agent about contemplating an attack similar to the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood. He later told an informant that the Islamic State group had asked him to participate in an attack.
Jalloh attempted to donate $500 to the group, but the money went to an account controlled by the FBI. He then attempted to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle but was turned away. He returned the following day and acquired a different assault rifle, which prosecutors stated was rendered inoperable before he left the store. Jalloh was arrested the day after purchasing the rifle.
Sentencing and Release Conditions
The Justice Department requested a 20-year prison sentence for Jalloh in 2017, citing his multiple attempts to join the Islamic State group and acquire a gun for a murder plot. Prosecutors emphasized Jalloh's commitment to the group's ideology.
Jalloh’s lawyers requested a 6.5-year sentence and placement in a facility providing residential drug treatment. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady sentenced him to 11 years.
The judge also ordered Jalloh to participate in substance abuse testing and treatment, and mental health treatment, and requested an evaluation for the federal prison system’s residential drug program. Typically, inmates convicted of terrorism-related offenses are not eligible for sentence reductions often associated with such programs or good conduct time.
Personal Background
Jalloh was a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone. Court documents indicate he was radicalized by Anwar al-Awlaki, an American imam who became an al-Qaida propagandist. He served as a specialist in the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 until his honorable discharge in 2015. Jalloh informed a government informant he left the National Guard after hearing lectures from al-Awlaki.
In a letter to the federal judge, Jalloh expressed regret, stating he was driven by emotions rather than intellect and rejected terrorism and associated groups. He wrote that he started using drugs and alcohol, including marijuana, cocaine, and mushrooms, daily to cope with pain after a six-year relationship ended.