Michigan police officials survey nearby neighbourhoods as police
continue to search for a suspect near Central Michigan University on
March 2, 2018 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. PHOTO | RACHEL WOOLF | AFP
A university student fatally shot his parents on his school
campus Friday in the US state of Michigan before fleeing and setting off
an hours-long manhunt, officials said.
The
early morning incident put the campus into lockdown — trapping students
in classrooms and dormitories until mid-afternoon — while police
conducted an expansive search for the 19-year-old suspected gunman.
'DOMESTIC ISSUE'
James
Eric Davis, described as a university student, remained at large. He
was accused of killing his father, a police officer, and mother in a
shooting inside a dormitory building in what a university police
spokesman described as a "family-type domestic issue."
There were no other casualties.
The
college campus in the city of Mount Pleasant in central Michigan was on
lockdown hours after the 8.30am shooting, as federal, state and local
law enforcement searched for Davis using helicopters and police dogs.
Heavily
armed officers fanned out throughout the city, and residents and
students were asked to stay inside and lock their doors.
University officials announced at 3pm local time that students were finally being escorted out of buildings by police.
"Uniformed
officers are beginning to assist individuals in leaving campus
buildings. Officers will be going building to building," the university
said in a statement.
SUSPECT KNOWN TO POLICE
Davis, who was a resident of nearby Illinois state but attending college in Michigan, was known to law enforcement.
Police
took him to a hospital the night before for what was believed to be a
"drug-related type of incident — an overdose or a bad reaction to
drugs," campus police spokesman Larry Klaus told a news conference.
He was then released to hospital staff, Klaus said.
An Illinois state legislator identified Davis's victims as his parents, who lived in a Chicago suburb.
"The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home," tweeted the state representative, Emanuel Welch.
"My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr and his wife who were shot and killed."
It was unclear what kind of weapon Davis used or how he acquired it.
The
state of Michigan allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun with a
permit, but Central Michigan University does not allow guns on campus.
The
reaction to the shooting was swift Friday morning, with multiple alerts
going out on social media and mobile phones within minutes of the
incident.
With one day left before
residence halls were scheduled to close for spring break, parents
seeking out their children were told to go to a staging area at a nearby
hotel.
FLORIDA SHOOTING
The
shooting came amid a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence and law
enforcement's role in stopping potential shooters, which was sparked
when a teenage gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida high
school two weeks ago.
Accused gunman
Nikolas Cruz had a history of run-ins with law enforcement, which have
faced scrutiny over their failure to intervene despite multiple
warnings.
Cruz used a semi-automatic
assault rifle in his attack, leading students at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School to make public appeals for change to permissive US
gun laws.
President Donald Trump has
called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks
and a potential increase to the minimum age for rifle purchases.
But
the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby said that Trump was
opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.
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