A man is facing sexual assault and armed robbery charges after prosecutors say he attacked a Milwaukee School of Engineering student near University Terrace on the first day of the fall semester, then ditched a handgun that investigators later tied to a shooting in Chicago the day before. David Kelley faces second-degree sexual assault and armed robbery charges in a case that stretches from a downtown Milwaukee alley to a violent incident across state lines.
Milwaukee County prosecutors filed charges against Kelley in connection with the August 31 incident on MSOE's campus, according to CBS 58. Court records described in that report say the suspect approached the student near University Terrace while asking where the gym was, a ruse investigators believe he used to get close before pulling a handgun from a fanny pack.
From there, the complaint outlined in the CBS 58 report says he forced physical contact with the student and stole his ID, dorm key, and lanyard. The attack only ended when other students approached the scene, allowing the victim to get away, per the same account.
Discarded Gun Links Milwaukee Attack to Chicago Shooting
Investigators recovered a handgun discarded in an alley dumpster near MSOE's campus after the assault, and ballistics testing connected that weapon to a sexual assault and attempted-homicide shooting that took place in Chicago on August 30 — just a day before the Milwaukee attack, according to WTMJ. Chicago authorities had independently identified Kelley in connection with that prior day's shooting, the station reported.
The overlap turns what began as a single campus assault case into a multi-jurisdictional investigation spanning Wisconsin and Illinois. It remains an open question whether Cook County prosecutors will pursue extradition or file their own charges against Kelley tied to the Chicago shooting.
What Kelley Could Face Under Wisconsin Law
Second-degree sexual assault under Wisconsin Statute § 940.225 is a Class C felony carrying a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and fines up to $100,000, according to Grieve Law.
The armed robbery count carries similar weight. Under Wisconsin Statute § 943.32(2), armed robbery involving the use or threat of a dangerous weapon is also a Class C felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison and fines up to $100,000, per the Van Severen Law Office. Wisconsin law classifies any firearm as a dangerous weapon regardless of whether it is loaded.
Security at an Open Downtown Campus
MSOE is a Milwaukee institution.
MSOE Public Safety runs 24-hour security operations and pushes real-time alerts to students and faculty through the Rave Emergency Alert system and Rave Guardian app, the university says. A freshman reportedly received a safety alert following the reported attack. Federal campus safety data compiled for 2024 shows MSOE reported 99 total crime and safety incidents that year, a rate of roughly 33.5 incidents per 1,000 enrolled students based on a student population of 2,953, according to College Factual.
The Clery Act is mentioned generally in discussions of campus safety reporting and alerts.
Part of a Wider Pattern Near Milwaukee Campuses
The MSOE case concerns a campus-adjacent violent crime in downtown Milwaukee this year.
Whether MSOE Public Safety will change physical security policies or shuttle routes in response to the August 31 attack remains unclear. It is also unknown how quickly the Milwaukee County Circuit Court case against Kelley will move given his potential legal exposure in Illinois.
