NORFOLK, Va. — Old Dominion University has hired the Cooley law firm to conduct an independent review of last month's shooting and campus safety, President Brian Hemphill said in an email Monday.
This review comes in the wake of a continued dispute between the ODU Faculty Senate and the university's administration over safety following the deadly shooting that occurred in Constant Hall.
"This seasoned and skilled team has worked on prior engagements together in which they have exhibited unwavering integrity, great synergy, and proven results," Hemphill wrote, adding that the team has already started to work.
Watch previous coverage: Old Dominion University students protest for a safer campus
Two days before March's shooting, the Faculty Senate issued a vote of no confidence in Hemphill. Then, on March 26, the faculty resurfaced a 2024 faculty email about safety concerns in the building that houses the Strome College of Business.
The 2024 email from a member of the faculty was sent directly to Hemphill, and discusses a specific safety incident and concerns over the security of Constant Hall and its classrooms.
The Faculty Senate alleged that the concerns with the door lock systems had not been addressed by March 12, 2026, when online student and convicted felon Mohamed Bailor Jalloh entered a classroom and shot and killed ROTC instructor Brandon Shah.
Watch previous coverage: Mohamed Jalloh was a current ODU student at the time of the shooting
"For faculty and staff to blur the lines and try to connect an act of terrorism to leadership is unprofessional," Chief Marketing Officer Kimberly Osborne said in an interview with News 3 reporter Jay Greene. "They're using a terrorist attack to further their own agenda."
Senate Chair Corrin Allen, an associate professor in the School of Speech-Language Pathology wrote in response that the shooting reflected the pattern of "irresponsible mis-management" of the university and disregard for faculty concerns that caused the shooting in the first place.
"[Jalloh] walked into a classroom, and without any barrier to that, and asked if it was an ROTC class," Allen said. "There was no locked door. There was no warning. I think that sort of speaks for itself."
Hemphill called this step a "moral imperative" to ensure the safety of every ODU student. The independent review will be a rigorous look into what led up to the shooting and a deep dive into ODU's safety policies and active shooter training, Hemphill said.
"This University will be guided by the findings and recommendations to ensure that we emerge from this stronger with a sustained focus on safety and security," Hemphill wrote.
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