ATHENS, Ga. — Students at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business say they are saddened by the tragic death of Lt. Colonel Brandon Shah.
He was killed at Old Dominion University in Virginia while teaching an ROTC class on Thursday. The gunman also died in the attack.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones was at the UGA campus where Shah received his Master’s degree in 2018.
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Senior Taylor Crouch is a senior at the College of Business. She says Shah’s death hits close to home.
“It’s just really terrible that something like that would happen to a graduate from our school. It’s like a pretty tight-knit community, and you kind of hear about everyone around here. So, hearing that happened to someone around here, recently graduated from here, is really awful,” she said.
Shah was an outstanding graduate student at UGA. He was so impressive that the Terry College of Business honored him with the Trailblazer award in 2022.
In a video, Shah explained what he would tell his 22-year-old self.
“Don’t sweat the small things. Align your priorities in life. And plan your career out and understand what you want out of that,” he explained.
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Shah planned his career out perfectly. He was a major in the U.S. Army and directed the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade in Savannah. He was also a helicopter pilot in Iraq.
On Old Dominion University’s campus, one of Shah’s good friends got emotional.
“Brandon, I love you, man. I miss you, and you didn’t deserve this, nor did anybody,” Eddie Flack said.
Flack says something is wrong that incidents like this keep happening.
“I’m just at a loss trying to process all of this,” he said.
Two other students were injured in the attack.
University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Benjamin C. Ayers and Terry College of Business Dean Santanu Chatterjee shared a joint statement.
“We were devastated to learn of the death of Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah in yesterday’s senseless and tragic shooting at Old Dominion University. Lt. Col. Shah was a proud graduate of UGA’s Terry College of Business, where he was recognized as a Terry Trailblazer, and he served on the flight crews of several military flyovers during football games at Sanford Stadium. He was dearly loved by many on our campus and was well known for his unwavering commitment to mentorship and service. The entire University of Georgia community will continue to hold him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
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