NORFOLK, Va. — The FBI is investigating Thursday's shooting at Old Dominion University as an act of terror. On Friday, Gov. Abigail Spanberger talked with reporters about the incident, commending the heroism of the man who died, Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, and his class of ROTC students.
"Thank you for the heroism of Lt. Col. Shah, who undeniably saved the lives of people on campus when he lunged at the shooter and himself was shot," Spanberger said.
Spanberger also offered condolences to Shah's family, the ROTC students who subdued the shooter and the entire ODU community.
"Certainly first and foremost my thoughts are with the entire ODU community, and especially the family of Lt. Col Brandon Shah, an extraordinary instructor and professor who gave his life in his classroom to protect his students and ultimately demonstrated for them what service and sacrifice and the lessons he tried to teach them every day in ROTC, he showed them in real time what that looks like," Spanberger said.
Watch previous coverage: Friends of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah share their grief
Since Thursday's attack, Spanberger said she has spoken with ODU's president, Brian Hemphill, and the investigating law enforcement officers. As a former CIA agent, Spanberger said it is important for FBI agents to be allowed to fully complete their investigation.
"Right now, it is important that the FBI is able to complete their investigation about what it is that happened yesterday, and what contacts this person may have had, and how it is that this was able to occur or any missing links to terrorism that might go unnoticed," Spanberger said.
There have been many security concerns over ODU's campus since Thursday, including the lack of metal detectors and key card requirements in academic buildings. Spanberger said that students should not have to go to school in "fortresses" to be protected by gun violence.
"I think the key part of this is that we shouldn't live in constant fear, and students shouldn't have to go to school in fortresses to be protected by gun violence," Spanberger said. "The man who murdered Lt. Col. Shah was previously convicted on terrorism charges and spent time in federal prison; that man should have never had access to a firearm."
Watch previous coverage: Dead ODU gunman with ISIS tied ID'd, one victim killed, two hurt
Spanberger recognized that there are holes in the legal system that allowed this to happen, and called for an "aggressive and dedicated" FBI to understand threats like these.
"Through better policy, in some cases through better resources, we can patch up these holes learning from this tragedy but ensuring it doesn't happen again," Spanberger said.
On a final note, Spanberger recognized the loss that the ODU community and all of Virginia is experiencing. She vowed to honor Shah's memory and the difficult path the survivors face.
"I'm so sorry for the loss that the ODU community is feeling, that all Virginians are feeling at this moment," Spanberger said. "As governor, I will ensure that we are doing everything we can to honor the memory of Lt. Col. Shah and honor the real challenges that the survivors and their feelings are going to continue to feel into the future.
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