A Milwaukee School of Engineering student was robbed at gunpoint and sexually assaulted on campus on the first day of the fall semester, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors have charged David Kelley with second-degree sexual assault and armed robbery.
The attack occurred Monday, Aug. 31, near University Terrace at Broadway and Highland Avenue. The student told investigators he noticed Kelley following him on the sidewalk. Kelley approached holding up a phone with a message that read, “I’m a new student here. Can you show me where the gym is?” He had difficulty speaking, claimed he needed an ID to get into the gym, then pulled a black firearm from a fanny pack.
The student handed over his lanyard, student ID, and dorm key. According to the complaint, Kelley then touched the student’s buttocks over his shorts, grabbed the student’s hand and forced contact with Kelley’s groin over clothing, and asked the student to kiss him. The student refused. When a group of other students came near, Kelley told the victim he could leave. The student ran to MSOE security.
Campus cameras captured Kelley’s path. He ran into an alley and discarded the fanny pack and gun in a dumpster. Investigators recovered the weapon; they said it was linked to a sexual assault and attempted-homicide shooting in Chicago the day before, Sunday, Aug. 30. Kelley was arrested nearby and remained in the Milwaukee County Jail as of Wednesday night, Sept. 9.
MSOE Public Safety operates 24 hours a day and uses Rave emergency alerts and the Rave Guardian app. The university has not issued a detailed public statement beyond the campus alert described by students. The charges against Kelley are allegations; he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Anyone with information can contact Milwaukee police or MSOE Public Safety at (414) 277-7159. Sexual assault survivors can reach the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault resource directory or the Sojourner Family Peace Center 24-hour line at 414-933-2722.
