James Eric Davis Jr was arrested without incident after an individual spotted him on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight, according to a release posted on Central Michigan's Emergency Communication website.
CMU President George E. Ross thanked the campus, surrounding community and law enforcement personnel "who came together to keep each other safe and apprehend the suspect," according to the university police website.
The university identified the two dead as Davis' mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr, a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.
The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles (112.6 kilometres) north of Lansing.
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Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldn't be confronted.
Klaus said video at the dorm suggested that Davis had fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.
"This has been a tragic day. ... The hurting will go on for a while," Ross said.
The search focused on Mount Pleasant neighbourhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.
The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 38 miles (61 kilometres) southwest of Chicago. Davis Jr graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.
Bellwood Police Chief Jiminez Allen released a statement last night praising Davis Sr's work.
Davis' "contributions to our community positively impacted everyone he served and served with," Allen said.
The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a week-long break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.
"These roads are kind of spooky right now," Whipple said. The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message was sent to students.
Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from the dorm. She had planned to run errands before travelling home to southeastern Michigan. "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.
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