A gunman opened fire at Old Dominion University’s Constant Hall in Norfolk, Virginia, injuring two people before the shooter was killed; the campus prohibits firearms for students and faculty and officials activated Run-Hide-Fight protocols before later issuing an all-clear.
Thursday morning’s shooting at Old Dominion University happened just before 10:50 a.m. in Constant Hall, which houses the university’s College of Business. Local witnesses reported heavy law enforcement on scene and shared video across social platforms as emergency crews responded. Campus alerts urged people to follow Run-Hide-Fight guidance while police moved to secure the area and treat the wounded.
An early emergency alert instructed the campus community to follow active shooter procedures and a subsequent message announced that the shooter had been neutralized and classes were suspended for the day. A final alert at 12:05 p.m. declared the incident over and gave the all clear. School officials later confirmed two people were treated at a local hospital and that the suspected shooter was deceased.
O.D.U. Urgent Alert: This is an all clear notification. The emergency at Constant Hall has ended. There is no longer an active threat to the campus community. Avoid the area in and around Constant Hall where emergency officials continue to work.
University statements provided a brief chronology, noting the shooting occurred shortly before 10:49 a.m. and that first responders from Old Dominion University Police and Norfolk Police arrived immediately. The campus community was directed to avoid the Constant Hall area while investigators and emergency personnel worked. Authorities have not released the names of the injured or the deceased shooter pending notification of next of kin and further investigation.
Shortly before 10:49 a.m., Constant Hall opened fire. Two people were injured. Old Dominion University Police, Norfolk Police and emergency personnel responded; immediately. The gunman is now deceased. The injured were transported to a local hospital.
The shooting exposes a predictable consequence of strict campus weapon bans: those who might defend themselves are legally barred from doing so. Old Dominion’s policy explicitly prohibits possession or carrying of any weapon by anyone except police in academic buildings, administrative offices, residence halls, dining facilities, and during campus events. That policy leaves faculty, staff, and students without the means to stop an attack until armed responders arrive.
Possession or carrying of any weapon by any person, except a police officer, is prohibited on university property in academic buildings, administrative office buildings, student residence buildings, or dining facilities, or while attending sporting, entertainment, or educational events. Entry upon the university property described in this section in violation of this chapter is expressly forbidden.
The university also defines “weapon” broadly, sweeping in firearms, knives and other defensive tools that could be used by law-abiding people to protect themselves. That definition makes clear the campus intends to keep everyone unarmed, rather than risk an armed citizen intervening in an active shooter situation. In practice, this policy can turn classrooms and hallways into zones where only the attacker or responding law enforcement have firearms.
“Weapon” means (i) firearms; (ii) knives, machetes, straight razors, spring sticks, metal knucks, or blackjacks; (iii) any flailing instrument consisting of two or more rigid parts connected in such a manner as to allow them to swing freely, which may be known as a nun chahka, nun chuck, nunchaku, shuriken, or fighting chain; (iv) any disc, of whatever configuration having at least two points or pointed blades, that is designed to be thrown or propelled and that may be known as a throwing star or oriental dart; and (v) any electrical conduction weapon including tasers.
Across Virginia, Democrats in control of the General Assembly are pushing for tighter gun restrictions, including proposals targeting so-called assault weapons. Those moves come at the same time campuses and other public spaces are doubling down on policies that disarm potential victims rather than enabling responsible citizens to defend themselves. This shooting will intensify debate over whether prohibition creates safer spaces or simply delays the only immediate defense available to law-abiding people.
Campus leaders and lawmakers will now face tough questions about emergency preparedness, response times, and whether security policies should allow trained staff or licensed citizens to carry defensive tools. Families of students and faculty will expect clear answers about how the university plans to prevent future attacks and protect those on campus. Meanwhile, investigators will continue piecing together the timeline and motives behind Thursday’s attack.
The university’s alerts and official statements present the factual outline: rapid response by police, two injured, and the shooter dead. Beyond that, the lasting issue is policy choice: keep campuses strictly gun-free and wait for armed responders, or reconsider restrictions so responsible individuals have a chance to stop an attacker in the critical minutes before law enforcement arrives. The public will be watching how Old Dominion and state leaders respond in the days ahead.
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