A convicted felon who was legally barred from possessing a firearm opened fire on the Old Dominion University campus last Thursday, killing an ROTC instructor and injuring two others before witnesses killed the shooter.
Federal prosecutors say the gun used in the attack was stolen, had a partially altered serial number, and was sold to the shooter for $100 — raising new questions about gun trafficking.
Federal prosecutors say Mohamed Jalloh used a Glock 44 to carry out the shooting. Jalloh had been released from prison in 2024 after serving time for attempting to aid a foreign terrorist organization, making him legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
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Prosecutors accuse Kenya Chapman, of Smithfield, of selling Jalloh the stolen gun for $100. Jalloh reportedly told Chapman he wanted the weapon for protection while working as a delivery driver.
Records show the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated Chapman in 2021 for three straw purchases — a practice in which a person with a clean record buys a gun on behalf of someone, such as a felon, who is legally prohibited from doing so.
At the time, the ATF issued Chapman a warning letter, and Chapman wrote a letter of apology. No charges were filed in that case.
Chapman is now facing three charges related to the 2021 case for making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, as well as a new charge for engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.
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Steve Dowdy, owner of Bob's Gun Store, said the current case is a gun trafficking case not a straw purchase.
Dowdy said he believes Chapman should have been prosecuted more aggressively in 2021 and called on authorities to pursue every violation of gun laws.
"They need to get on this. They wait for the big fish, the big instances, and leave the little ones alone. To me, they need to go after every single one," Dowdy said.
Watch related coverage: FBI leading investigation into ODU shooting
WTKR also spoke with former ODU president James Koch, who is now a professor and works in the building where the shooting took place. Koch said shutting the building down permanently would not be the right response.
"I think it would be inappropriate to shut everything down permanently in this building, because that would validate what the assassin wanted to have occur. He wanted to shut things down, so I think we need to be going, and keep going, in this particular circumstance," Koch said.
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He said we need to honor the first responders and the heroes who took action to protect others.
