Davis was the eldest child of Korean War veteran Joseph Davis and hospital worker Virginia Davis. The happy couple divorced when Davis was very young, and also Davis knew growing up four siblings within the predominantly black, middle-class neighborhood of Cloverdale, Savannah. He attended Windsor Forest Senior High School, where one teacher referred to him as a poor college student. He dropped out in his junior year so he could drive his disabled younger sister to her rehabilitate. Davis obtained his high-school equivalency diploma or degree from Richard Arnold Education Center in 1987. A teacher noted that he attended school regularly but appeared to lack discipline. Davis's nickname at the time was "Rah," or "Rough as Hell" , however some neighbours reported that it didn't reflect his behavior; they referred to him as a "straight up fellow" who acted as a big brother to local kids. In July 1988, Davis pled guilty to carrying a hidden weapon; he was fined $250 as part of a plea agreement in which a charge of possessing a gun with altered ghd serial numbers was dropped.
In August 1988, Davis began function as a drill technician at a plant manufacturing railroad crossing gates. His boss reported that Davis was a likable plus great worker who seemed to have positive life targets. Nevertheless, his job attendance was poor, and by Christmas 1988 he stopped going to work. Davis came back to the job twice in the following months, but neither time remained for long.
Davis became a coach during the Savannah Police Athletic League and also had subscribed to service in the usa Marine Corps.
