Central Michigan University: 2 People Killed In Shooting Were Parents Of Student Suspect

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (CBS/AP) —Central Michigan University confirms that two people killed in a shooting there were the parents of a student suspect.

The incident happened 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. No other injuries were immediately reported. The university, which has about 23,000 students, urged students to take shelter.

A Michigan radio station is reporting that the victims are the parents of the gunman. The suspect has been identified as 19-year-old James Davis Jr.

The school posted an alert around 9:30 a.m. 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.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)