Student in custody after allegedly killing parents in Michigan college shooting
MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan -- A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory and then running from campus has been apprehended.
Central Michigan's Emergency Communication says on its website that James Eric Davis Jr. was arrested without incident early Saturday. They say Davis was seen on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight.
Police say Friday morning's shooting at Campbell Hall happened when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break. More than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, had searched neighborhoods near Central Michigan University following the shooting.
The university identified the two dead as Davis mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood. The shooting occurred at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) north of Lansing.
The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. at Campbell Hall, a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles north of Lansing.
Klaus said video at the dorm suggests Davis fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.
"This has been a tragic day. ... The hurting will go on for a while," said university President George Ross.
The search was focused on Mount Pleasant neighborhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.
Klaus said Davis was taken to a hospital Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.
Davis is from Plainfield, Illinois, and graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.
The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a weeklong break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.
A student, Tyler Whipple, was driving through campus when his route was blocked off by police cars at the scene of the killings. He had to catch a flight to Florida.
"These roads are kind of spooky right now," Whipple said.
The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message also was sent to students.
Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from the dorm. She had planned to run errands before traveling home to the Detroit area.
"It's scary thinking about how easy a shooter can come into a college campus anywhere - a classroom, a library. There's so much easy access," Byron said.
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