The suspect in a shooting at Old Dominion University that left one victim dead and two others wounded was a former member of the Army National Guard and was previously convicted of attempting to aid the Islamic State, according to federal authorities.

The FBI said that it was investigating the shooting, which occurred Thursday morning, as an act of terrorism. The suspect is also dead.

Authorities have identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, said Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the Norfolk FBI field office, at a press conference on Thursday evening. In 2016, Jalloh pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State. He received a prison sentence in 2017, and was released in 2024.

Evans said that, before the shooting, Jalloh shouted, “Allahu Akbar.” Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students at Old Dominion University intervened; Evans said that they “showed extreme bravery and courage by containing … the shooter and stopping further loss of life.”

“There were students that were in that room that subdued him and rendered him no longer alive,” Evans said. “I don’t know how else to say it. They basically were able to terminate the threat.”

She said that the suspect wasn’t shot. She added that the FBI’s investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Earlier in the afternoon, Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said that authorities were “working to get in touch” with the family of the deceased victim. He said at the time that the other two victims appeared to be in stable condition. All three victims are affiliated with the school.

U.S. Army Cadet Command told local NBC affiliate WAVY in a statement that it “can confirm that two members of the university ROTC program were shot and were taken to a local hospital to treat their injuries.” 

The school, located in Norfolk, Virginia, said in an alert to the campus community around noon on Thursday, roughly an hour after the shooting began, that there was no longer a threat at the university, but that classes were canceled for the rest of the day. The school asked people to avoid the area of the shooting while the authorities continued their investigation.

Old Dominion University said that Friday classes were also canceled, and that counselors will be on the main campus on Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., should students, faculty, and staff wish to use those services.

The incident began shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday, the school said, when a gunman began shooting in Constant Hall, the building that houses the College of Business. Officers responded immediately.

Patel said in a post on X on Thursday afternoon that the shooter is dead “thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him—actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement.”

In a statement on the school’s website, university president Brian O. Hemphill called the shooting a “tragedy.” He thanked the emergency personnel who responded to the incident.

“The safety of our campus community is my top priority,” he said. “We take this responsibility very seriously and remain vigilant in our efforts to maintain a safe campus. I extend my thoughts and prayers to those impacted by the incident, as well as the entire campus and the broader community.”