A gunman opened fire inside Constant Hall at Old Dominion University on Thursday morning, injuring two people before dying, the university said. The shooting occurred shortly before 10:49 a.m. on the Norfolk campus.
Old Dominion University Police, emergency personnel and Norfolk Police responded immediately, according to the university. The two injured people were taken to a local hospital. By 11:43 a.m. Thursday, the university said there was no longer a threat on campus. Officials, however, continued to advise people to avoid the area around Constant Hall while the investigation remained ongoing.
In a post on X, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said the two victims were Army personnel. Their identities have not been released.
Classes were canceled on ODUās main campus on Thursday. The university also said it would be closed Friday, March 13.
In a message to the campus community, President Brian O. Hemphill described the incident as a tragedy and thanked university police, emergency management personnel and city partners in Norfolk for assisting the injured. He also announced the opening of a Family Information Center in the Big Blue Room at Chartway Arena.
Hemphill also encouraged students, faculty and staff to go to Broderick Dining Commons for lunch and counseling support. Student counseling services will be available Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Broderick Dining Commons. Counseling services for faculty, staff and community members will be available in the Student Government Chambers at Webb Center.
Videos on social media appeared to show emergency personnel assisting people near Constant Hall, but those videos have not been independently verified.
The university first alerted the campus at 10:48 a.m. about an active threat at Constant Hall and told people to follow run-hide-fight protocols. A later alert said the shooter had been neutralized.
By early afternoon, the university said the investigation was still active and the area around Constant Hall remained closed off.
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