In a 17-minute video shared online by the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, cadets at Old Dominion University recounted how they responded when a gunman entered a classroom and fired during an attack on March 12 in Norfolk, Virginia. The video, posted Wednesday, describes how Lt. Col. Brandon Shah lunged toward the shooter as the assault unfolded, and how other cadets said they intervened with knives once Shah and the gunman were grappling.
Cadet Jah-Ire Urtarte said Shah’s move saved lives, explaining that without Shah lunging at the attacker, he believed he might have been killed instead. Urtarte also spoke about the possibility that the shooter could have turned his gun toward other cadets after striking at Shah.
The cadets’ account identifies the shooter as Army National Guard veteran Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. They said Jalloh walked into the classroom and asked whether it was an ROTC class before pulling out a pistol, shouting “Allahu akbar,” and firing toward Shah. Students then dived for cover as Shah struggled with the gunman, according to their descriptions in the video.
In the video, Cadet Louis Ancheta said he pulled out a pocket knife to help stop the attacker but was hit in the chest by a round. Ancheta said the injury initially felt like a graze, and that after being struck he continued moving to address the threat. Cadet Jeremy Rawlinson and other cadets described joining in to help subdue Jalloh once Shah had the man turned.
Urtarte and others described how Shah and the gunman’s struggle shifted from immediate protection of the class to direct engagement. When Shah got the man turned around, Ancheta said he took action with the folding tactical knife that most cadets carry. Ancheta said he began stabbing, and that other cadets then jumped in, while Rawlinson said he also took out his knife to help stop the threat.
Cadets said the shooter still had the gun even after multiple cadets were on top of him. Cadet Wesley Myers said he made disarming the shooter his priority by squeezing his fingers between Jalloh’s hand and the weapon to pry it away, then clearing the final round from the chamber.
After the cadets said Jalloh was disarmed, their descriptions turned to immediate lifesaving steps for Shah, who was wounded in the attack. Cadet Samuel Reineberg said he found a gunshot wound to Shah’s upper right thigh and that Rawlinson handed him his belt to use as a tourniquet. Rawlinson said the group shifted “on an instant” to providing combat care.
Myers said he went to Ancheta and helped with first aid, describing how the response changed once it involved a real person instead of training equipment. Ancheta said the cadets asked him to call his mother. The cadets said Shah received a Purple Heart, along with other medals awarded to cadets for their response.
The video also included background about Shah’s role and experience. Shah attended Old Dominion University as an ROTC student and returned in 2022 as a leader for the program, according to his biography on the university’s website. The cadets said Shah had flown helicopters over Iraq, Afghanistan and Eastern Europe as a pilot while in the Army.
Cadets also recalled that Shah had told them two days before the shooting not to wear their uniforms around campus as a precaution. Cadet Brandon Rebolledo said he believed the guidance reflected concerns about the situation involving Iran and the Middle East, with an emphasis on keeping a low profile.
In the video, cadets said they believed Shah’s decision to move into the attacker’s path and their rapid shift from stopping the threat to providing care reflected the training they had been given. Rawlinson said Shah had a saying: “Be bold, be quick, be gone,” and Cadet Oshea Bego said Shah set an example not only as a soldier and leader, but “also just as a human being.”