WASHINGTON: The deceased victim in Thursday’s shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, had served for the US in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and came from a family that moved from Pakistan.
Here are some details about him: Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, 42, the ODU Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps professor of military science and a native of Chesapeake, Virginia, died from gunshot wounds sustained during the shooting.
“Lt. Col. Shah was a beloved and respected leader at Old Dominion University. He personally guided students in the Army ROTC Monarch Battalion through his caring spirit and combat experience,” Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill said. Shah “embodied what it means to be a devoted family man, a revered leader, and heroic protector even in his final moments,” Hemphill said.
After enlisting in the army in 2003, Shah enrolled at Old Dominion University in 2005. He received his army commission and graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
As an army pilot, he flew an AH64 Apache over Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Hemphill, who said Shah logged more than 1,200 hours, 600 of them on combat missions, in three aircraft.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said she ordered that the flags of the US and Virginia be flown at half-staff on all state and local buildings and grounds in Shah’s memory.
Shah’s cousin was cited by NBC News as saying that Shah was born in the U.S after his father immigrated to the US and that the family came from Pakistan. The FBI said it opened a terrorism investigation into the Thursday shooting that killed Shah and injured two others.
All three victims were affiliated with the university which, according to its website, has close ties with the military. The shooter was also killed.
