A Virginia man has been charged with federal offenses after a stolen firearm he allegedly sold was used in Thursday’s deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, Virginia, is charged with three counts of making false statements during firearm purchases and one count of selling a firearm without a license, according to federal authorities.
The charges stem from allegations that a handgun sold by Chapman was later used by Mohamed Bailor Jalloh during the shooting inside a classroom on the Old Dominion University campus.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a gunman opened fire inside a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps classroom before students subdued him during the attack.
According to a federal affidavit, the attacker asked individuals in the room to confirm it was an ROTC class before beginning to shoot. The victim killed in the attack was an active-duty U.S. service member assigned as a lieutenant colonel to the Army ROTC unit at Old Dominion University.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the gunman had previously been convicted of terrorism-related offenses.
“Chapman allegedly stole a firearm and illegally sold it to a convicted terrorist, who murdered a decorated American veteran, and he will finally face the full weight of justice,” Blanche said.
A Glock 44 .22-caliber pistol with a partially altered serial number was recovered from the shooting scene, investigators said.
According to the affidavit, Chapman admitted during an interview with federal agents that he sold the firearm to Jalloh earlier this week for $100 after stealing the weapon from a vehicle in Newport News, Virginia approximately one year earlier.
The $100 bill used in the transaction was shown to investigators and later seized as evidence, the affidavit states.
Investigators said the connection between the two men was identified after reviewing a phone recovered next to the attacker’s body. Records showed multiple calls between the two men in the week leading up to the shooting, including a call minutes before the attack.
A search of Chapman’s home also resulted in the discovery of .22-caliber ammunition consistent with the firearm used in the shooting, authorities said.
Court records also indicate Chapman had been investigated in 2021 for straw purchasing three firearms. Two of those guns were later recovered in connection with a homicide investigation, while another was recovered during a separate incident involving a person charged with public intoxication.
Jalloh previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the ISIS terrorist organization and served federal prison time from 2017 until his release in 2024.
Because he was a convicted felon, Jalloh was prohibited from legally purchasing or possessing a firearm.
Chapman allegedly told investigators he knew Jalloh had previously served time in prison but denied knowing he was a convicted felon. Investigators said Chapman also stated he had no knowledge that Jalloh planned to carry out an attack.
If convicted on all charges, Chapman faces a maximum possible sentence of 35 years in federal prison.
