An independent firm recommended Old Dominion University improve campus safety, threat assessment, emergency response, communications, and institutional processes in a report released Tuesday, after a fatal campus shooting killed an employee and injured multiple students in May.
The report comes as the university prepares to welcome students back to Norfolk on Aug. 24, three months after Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah died and several students were attacked by Mohamed Bailor Jalloh at Constant Hall, one of the institution’s academic buildings.
Jalloh, who also died, spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group before he enrolled at the Hampton Roads college.
On Tuesday, ODU released the redacted independent report from law firm Cooley LLP on the May 12 shooting. The report concluded that the disaster was “an unpreventable terror attack” by Jalloh against students in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) receiving military training alongside their regular classes.
Investigators also determined the institution had no knowledge of Jalloh’s past conviction and was not informed about it by law enforcement or the student’s probation officer.
“We are releasing the full report with only those redactions essential to protect student privacy as part of our commitment to transparency,” said ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, in a statement.
“Doing so is a fitting way to honor the memory of Lt. Col. Shah, who tragically lost his life, and our students, who were injured and who acted heroically, skillfully and swiftly to prevent even greater harm,” Hemphill continued.
The university said in a statement after the report’s recommendations were published that it will make physical security updates, streamline campus alert systems, expand background checks for readmitted students and enhance threat-assessment staffing and resources.
These actions are a direct result of the report’s findings, officials said.
The firm also recommended that ODU improve coordination and readiness with emergency response partners, create a clearer, more centralized emergency communication system, and build a stronger process for identifying and evaluating potential safety risks after admission or readmission.
Hemphill thanked the law firm for its “attention to detail” and “candor” throughout the investigation and pledged to take action based on the report.
“The campus community has my complete assurance that we will act quickly to fully implement Cooley’s recommendations as we actively work to make our campus as safe and secure as possible,” he said.
