Suspect in US college campus shooting apprehended

MICHIGAN: A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory before running from campus was apprehended early on Saturday following an intensive day-long search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said.

James Eric Davis Jr. was arrested without incident after an individual spotted him on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight, according to a release posted on Central Michigan's Emergency Communication website.

CMU President George E. Ross thanked the campus, surrounding community and law enforcement personnel “who came together to keep each other safe and apprehend the suspect,” according to the university police website.

Friday's shooting at Campbell Hall happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break.

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 around 8:30 a.m. at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 112.6 km north of Lansing.

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he should not be confronted. Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a “slow, methodical removal” of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings, Lt. Larry Klaus said, adding that he “should be considered armed and dangerous.”

Klaus said video at the dorm suggested that Davis had 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,” Ross said.

The search 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 on Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.

The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 61 km southwest of Chicago. Davis Jr. graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.

Bellwood Police Chief Jiminez Allen released a statement Friday night praising Davis Sr.'s work.

Davis' “contributions to our community positively impacted everyone he served and served with,” Allen said.

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a week-long 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.