Man charged with selling stolen firearm used in Old Dominion shooting, officials say

A Virginia man is facing federal charges, accused of selling a stolen firearm to the gunman who used it in Thursday’s deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, according to officials and court documents.  

Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, is charged with three counts of making false statements while purchasing a firearm, and one count of selling a firearm without a proper license. 

The three counts of false statements are for unrelated gun purchases Chapman allegedly made in 2021, authorities said. He made his first court appearance on Friday, the Justice Department said. 

“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,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Friday.  

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a 36-year-old former Virginia National Guardsman, killed one person and injured two others Thursday in an Old Dominion classroom, authorities said. A law enforcement source told CBS News that Jalloh walked into a classroom in the school’s business college, asked if it was an ROTC class, and when told yes, opened fire. The ROTC instructor of the class was killed. 

Jalloh died after being “subdued” by students in the classroom following the shooting, Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Office, told reporters. CBS News has learned that one of the students killed the gunman with a knife.

A Glock 44 .22-caliber firearm with a partially altered serial number was recovered from the scene, according to a federal law enforcement affidavit. Authorities said Thursday that it was the only gun found on the suspect. 

In an interview with federal investigators Thursday after his Smithfield home was raided, Chapman allegedly admitted that earlier this week, he had sold Jalloh a Glock 44 .22-caliber firearm for $100, but denied knowing whether its serial number had been altered, according to the affidavit.   

Chapman told investigators that he had stolen the gun about a year prior to the shooting from a vehicle in Newport News, Virginia. Chapman showed agents the $100 bill used in the purchase, the affidavit states.

A phone belonging to Jalloh was found next to his body in the classroom, and a review of his recent contacts in the week leading up to the shooting led investigators to Chapman, according to the affidavit. When his home was searched, .22-caliber ammunition was found consistent with the gun recovered from the shooting scene. 

The affidavit alleges that the pair, who met at work, spoke six times between March 5 and the day of the shooting, with the most recent call being “minutes before” it took place. 

Chapman had been investigated in 2021 for straw purchases of three guns, and at the time admitted to obtaining them illegally, the affidavit states. Two of the guns were recovered from the scene of a homicide, and a third was recovered from a drunk in public incident, according to the affidavit. He received a warning letter and was asked to write a letter of apology. 

Jalloh pleaded guilty in October 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the terror group ISIS and served federal prison time from 2017 to 2024, Evans said. Because he was a felon, Jalloh could not legally purchase or own a firearm. 

While being interviewed, Chapman also allegedly admitted to knowing Jalloh had spent time in prison, but denied knowing he was a felon, the affidavit states. The affidavit alleges that Chapman “had no idea” that Jalloh would commit an attack, alleging that Jalloh told him he needed the gun for protection as a delivery driver.

If convicted as charged, Chapman could face a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.  

It wasn’t immediately clear if Chapman has an attorney representing him.