James Davis Jr.

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- Accused Central Michigan University shooter James Eric Davis Jr. had escaped from an area hospital a few hours before he allegedly killed his parents in his dorm room.

According to Isabella County Dispatch recordings archived on Broadcastify.com, 19-year-old Davis Jr. fled from MidMichigan Medical Center, 4851 E. Pickard Road in Mount Pleasant, around 3 a.m. on Friday, March 2. Davis Jr. had been brought to the hospital after having two odd interactions with police in the preceding hours.

About 3:10 a.m., radio chatter between police searching for Davis Jr. and dispatchers indicates he was last seen heading "towards the woods, north of the helipad."

"I'm on National Drive or National Road back here," one officer tells a dispatcher. "Just came across one of the hospital workers who said the last time they saw him was on this road, going through the woods. Not sure which direction he went after that."

One voice on the recordings advises that hospital staff described Davis Jr. as having "mental issues."

A civilian in the 1600 block of Belmont Drive had called 911 after her dogs began barking and she stepped outside to see a hospital employee with a penlight. The worker had been attempting to find Davis Jr., according to the recorded chatter.

At about 3:16 a.m., an Isabella County Sheriff's deputy notifies dispatchers that he has located Davis Jr. near a landscaping business in the 4600 block of East Airport Road, a distance of 0.6 miles from the hospital. The deputy states he's taking Davis Jr. back to the hospital.

Speaking with MLive, a hospital spokeswoman said she could not divulge how Davis Jr. had managed to escape the facility.

Police had brought Davis Jr. to the hospital in the first place about 1:30 a.m. after they spotted him sitting with luggage in the lobby of Campbell Hall. Approached by police and staff, a disoriented Davis made statements that he was under the influence of drugs. As a result, police took him to the emergency room.

A few hours before that, Davis Jr. had approached a community policing officer, claiming someone was trying to kill him. An investigation was conducted, with police determining Davis Jr. was not the subject of a valid threat.

Later on the morning of March 2, hospital staff discharged Davis Jr. into the care of his parents, James E. Davis Sr. and Diva J. Davis. The parents took their son to his fourth-floor dorm room in Campbell Hall and were helping him pack for spring break.

Surveillance footage and witnesses revealed Davis Jr. later left the hall and went to his family's vehicle, where he apparently retrieved his dad's handgun. He then used his CMU ID to return to the residence hall, police have said.

Davis Jr. shot and killed his parents on returning to his room, police have said. He left the gun at the scene and fled. About 15 hours later, the crew of a Great Lakes Central Railroad train spotted a boxer-short-wearing Davis Jr. standing near tracks about a half-mile from campus and called 911. Police responded and arrested Davis without incident.

Police again took Davis Jr. to the hospital for treatment of hypothermia. He was still confined to a hospital bed on Tuesday, March 6, when Isabella County Chief Circuit Judge Paul H. Chamberlain arraigned him closed-circuit television on two counts of open murder and one count of felony firearm.

The following day, Davis Jr. was transferred from the hospital to Isabella County Jail, where he remains lodged on a $1.125 million bond.

MLive has been unable to reach Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main for comment on how authorities managed to keep Davis Jr. from escaping from the hospital during his five-day stay there.

The Davises resided in Plainfield, Illinois. Davis Sr. was a part-time officer with Bellwood Police Department, a village near Chicago, and had been a longtime member of the Illinois Army National Guard and served in the Iraq War.

Davis Jr. is to appear for a preliminary examination before Chamberlain at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27.