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5d ago

ODU ROTC Cadets Publicly Recount How They Stopped Classroom Gunman

The release coincides with ongoing federal and university investigations into the March 12 attack.

FILE - A bouquet of flowers with a note and votive candles sits at the entrance of Constant Hall at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., on March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)
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Overview

  • A 17-minute Army ROTC video posted Wednesday features Old Dominion University cadets giving their first public account of the March 12 classroom shooting.
  • Cadets say they used pocket knives, fought for control of the Glock, pried it free, and cleared a final round before switching to first aid for the wounded.
  • Students credit Lt. Col. Brandon Shah with lunging at the attacker to shield them, and they later learned he died of a gunshot wound despite their efforts to save him.
  • Several cadets were wounded and later honored with awards, including a Purple Heart for Louis Ancheta and multiple Meritorious Service Medals for those who subdued the shooter.
  • The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, ODU has launched an independent review led by the Cooley law firm after a March 27 cadet meeting with university leaders, and the shooter, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, had a 2016 conviction for attempting to aid ISIS and enrolled at ODU after his 2024 release.