(CNN) Police are looking for the son of a husband and wife who were fatally shot Friday at a residence hall at Central Michigan University, campus officials said.
James Eric Davis Jr., 19, was identified as a suspect in what authorities said was a family-related domestic dispute. It was the nation's 12th school shooting this year
The university, in Mount Pleasant, identified the victims as James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Jeenen Davis, the suspect's parents.
The suspect is at large and considered armed and dangerous, according to police. He was wearing mustard yellow jeans and a blue hoodie when last seen.
Campus police spoke with James Davis Jr. on Thursday night, Lt. Larry Klaus with CMU Police said during a news conference.
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Update 8:00 pm: Search for the suspect ongoing
The search for the suspect in this morning's campus shooting is ongoing. Officers from multiple police agencies will continue their efforts on campus and in the community through the night.
Police remind anyone who sees anything suspicious to call 911.
We will continue to post updates as more information becomes available.
Update 6:00 pm: Campus events and activities are cancelled until further notice
The Central Michigan University Police Department has identified the victims in this morning's campus shooting as James Eric Davis, Sr., and Diva Jeneen Davis. The victims are the father and mother of the suspect, who remains at large.
Multiple police agencies - more than 100 officers - continue to search for the suspect.
All planned campus events and activities are cancelled until further notice. Classes at the Mount Pleasant campus scheduled for Saturday, March 3, are cancelled.
The Western Michigan at Central Michigan men's basketball game scheduled for this evening has been postponed, CMU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said.
The game will be rescheduled and details will be announced once they are confirmed.
Update 2:56 pm: Officers assisting individuals in leaving buildings
The suspect in this morning's campus shooting is still at large. CMU police continue to work closely with local and state police agencies.
Uniformed officers are beginning to assist individuals in leaving campus buildings. Officers will be going building to building. Please wait for officers before leaving buildings.
Students in residence halls may stay in the halls or can leave with assistance from uniformed officers. Residential students will be allowed into halls with their CMU ID. Campbell Hall is open with the exception of the fourth floor.
Update 10:43 am: Shots fired
Central Michigan University police confirm two individuals were fatally shot at Campbell Hall on campus this morning. The deceased are not students and police believe the situation started from a domestic situation.
There are no additional injuries.
Campus is on lockdown as the suspect is still at large.
The person of interest is James Eric Davis, Jr. He is a black male, approximately 19 years of age, 5’10” and 135 lbs.
Those planning to come to campus today to pick up students for spring break should stay off campus until further notice. Please go to the Comfort Inn, 2424 S. Mission St. University staff will be on site to support the families.
CMU police are working closely with local and state police.
Continue to monitor this page and CMU's social media channels for updates.
Media Contact
Heather Smith
hutch1hl@cmich.edu
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A gunman fatally shot two people at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday morning, sending police officers swarming to the campus and setting off a search for the suspect that continued into the evening.
The episode rattled nerves at Central Michigan, where details were released slowly and students were told to take shelter inside dorms and classrooms for much of the day.
Police officers said they were seeking James E. Davis Jr., 19 and a sophomore. They described him as a person of interest in the shooting and cautioned that he was “armed and dangerous.” The victims were identified as Mr. Davis’s parents, James E. Davis Sr. and Diva J. Davis, both 47. An Illinois state legislator identified the elder Mr. Davis as a police officer in Bellwood, a Chicago suburb.
The search for the gunman continued late Friday afternoon, and included more than 100 police officers from several Michigan agencies and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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“We have not had any of our police assets lay eyes on him,” said Lt. Larry Klaus of the university police. “We have not had any calls from the community saying they’ve seen him.”
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Two people who weren't students were fatally shot at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, prompting officials to put the campus on lockdown as police searched for a 19-year-old suspect described as armed and dangerous, officials said. Campus police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said in a statement.
Central Michigan University police Lt. Larry Klaus identified the suspect as James Eric Davis Jr., a black man who was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds. Klaus said Davis was last seen wearing a dark hoodie but it wasn't known whether he changed his clothes because several items of clothing were found in the area.
The university identified the two dead as James Davis Sr. and Diva Davis. Records show they're from Plainfield, Illinois. Central Michigan University police said James Eric Davis, Jr. fatally shot his parents who had arrived at the dorm to pick him up from school, adding that the killings stemmed from a "domestic situation," CBS Detroit reports. Davis' father, James Davis, Sr., was a part-time police officer at the Bellwood Police Department in Illinois, according to reports.
The shooting happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break.
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
No other injuries were immediately reported. The university, which has about 23,000 students, urged students to take shelter.
"At this point, our campus is safe," Klaus said at a midday press conference.
On Thursday night, Klaus said Davis suffered what officers believed was a drug overdose or a bad reaction to drugs and he was taken to a hospital.
CMU police confirm two individuals were fatally shot at Campbell Hall on campus this morning. The deceased are not students and police believe the situation started from a domestic situation. There are no additional injuries; suspect is still at large: https://t.co/AxvPn3N0s0 — Central Michigan U. (@CMUniversity) March 2, 2018
Around 9:30 a.m. Friday, the school posted an alert on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall, a dorm on the campus in Mount Pleasant, which is about 70 miles north of Lansing. An automated phone message from the school also was sent to students.
The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before spring break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told to stay off campus and go to a local hotel where staff would assist them.
Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from Campbell Hall. 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.
In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings. Visitors also weren't being allowed to enter.
