On Friday, James Eric Davis Jr., aged 19, shot both his parents dead in his college dorm at Central Michigan University, before fleeing the scene.
The latest update in this tragic case is that Davis Jr had been acting erratically the day before the tragic shooting.
The person of interest is James Eric Davis, Jr. He is a black male, approximately 19 years of age, 5'10" & 135 lbs. He was last see wearing mustard yellow jeans and a blue hoodie. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach the suspect. Call 911 immediately. pic.twitter.com/dCChxe1Tfr
— City of Mt. Pleasant (@MtPleasantMI) March 2, 2018
What led up to this Central Michigan University shooting?
The day prior, Davis Jr had approached campus officers, claiming that he was in danger and that someone was out to harm him.
His statements were vague and didn’t seem to make sense. The campus officers looked into the matter, but after determining that there was no immediate threat to the student, they asked how they could help him. With Spring break around the corner, James reportedly said he would be fine because he was going home in the morning.
Mere hours later, however, Davis Jr was again seen speaking nonsensically in the hallways of his dorm and made a statement that indicated that he was under the influence of drugs.
This prompted university staff to contact the student's parents, who said they would come to collect their son. The university staff checked Davis Jr into a hospital Thursday night, where his parents picked him up on Friday, before returning to campus to collect his belongings.
Witnesses claim to have seen the perpetrator walk with a gun from the parking lot and into the building in which he resided. It was while his parents were in his fourth-floor dorm room that Davis Jr shot both his parents dead.
The aftermath of the Central Michigan University shooting
After the shooting, more than 100 police officers conducted a search for the gunman that lasted over twelve hours, before he was spotted at a nearby train station.
URGENT INFORMATION: There has been a report of a shooting on the campus of Central Michigan University. MPPD is assisting @cmupd with the situation. The shooter has not yet been apprehended. Please remain aware of your surroundings and call 911 to report suspicious activity
— City of Mt. Pleasant (@MtPleasantMI) March 2, 2018
Meanwhile, the shooting sent Central Michigan University into lockdown mode, with students being told to take shelter inside their dorms and classrooms for hours.
The shooting at Central Michigan occurred just two weeks after a gunman killed 17 people, students, and staff, at a high school in Parkland, Florida. This shooting is also the 12th school shooting to occur in the US this year.
Davis’ parents, Diva (who worked as a flight attendant) and James Eric Davis Sr, a police officer, will be greatly missed by the community. It is claimed that the gun Davis Jr used to kill his parents belonged to his father, but it isn’t clear how he got it.
While Davis Jr’s motives for killing his parents are not yet clear, the shooting is to be investigated as a domestic violence incident. After his arrest, James Davis Jr was immediately taken to McLaren Hospital for further treatment.
