Investigators say surveillance footage captured David Krause running from a vehicle before he was shot.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Surveillance video, a storm-night phone call and a short ride through Walker’s Point are key pieces in the case against teenagers accused in the April 14 shooting death of David Krause.
The evidence described in public reports gives investigators a narrow timeline. Krause, 35, had been celebrating 414 Day before severe weather moved through Milwaukee. He took shelter at a gas station, realized his keys were not with him and called his girlfriend. He said he was “getting a ride from some kids.” Prosecutors later said that ride became an attempted armed robbery that ended with Krause dead near South 1st Street and East Greenfield Avenue.
The route described by authorities was brief. Krause got into a vehicle with teens and traveled about three blocks. Surveillance cameras then captured him leaving the car and running toward a nearby bar, according to reports describing juvenile court records. Two teens ran after him. Investigators said a struggle followed and one teen shot Krause in the chest. The video has not been released publicly in full, but officials have used its contents to describe the final moments before the shooting.
The location matters because the 1st and Greenfield area is a busy crossing point between neighborhoods. Walker’s Point, Harbor View and the Harbor District sit near bars, apartment buildings, older industrial sites and major streets leading toward downtown and the lakefront. On April 14, the area was also affected by storms. Krause’s family said the weather pushed him to seek shelter and then accept a ride, turning a routine problem into the opening of a homicide investigation.
Police first announced an arrest after identifying a 14-year-old boy as a suspect. Prosecutors alleged he was part of a group attempting to rob Krause. In juvenile court, the defense said the teen did not fire the gun and asked that he be released to his father with GPS monitoring. A court commissioner ordered secure detention, saying the allegations were violent and release would create risk. The decision kept the teen in custody while police continued looking for others.
Additional arrests came soon after. Local reports said Milwaukee police took a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl into custody, while later court reporting said teen boys faced felony murder and armed robbery or attempted armed robbery allegations. One report said a 15-year-old appeared in juvenile court as prosecutors cited a history involving property crimes and car thefts. Another said one suspect also faced an arson count. Because the proceedings involve minors, the record available to the public remains limited and some details have shifted as charges developed.
The case was complicated by an error at the Milwaukee County Center for Youth, where one teen suspect was mistakenly released from custody. Authorities said the teen was later re-arrested. The mistake did not erase the charges, but it changed the public focus for a time from the evidence in the shooting to the county’s handling of juvenile detention. For Krause’s relatives, the release happened after they had warned that suspects should remain in custody.
Family members have supplied another part of the record: who Krause was before the shooting. They said he was a Lake Geneva native who had made Milwaukee his home for about a decade. They said he was out celebrating 414 Day, a local observance tied to Milwaukee’s 414 area code, and that he trusted people in the city. Kevin Krause told the court, “We are begging the court to keep this assailant in custody, to prevent him from committing other horrific crimes.” Diane Krause, David’s mother, said she worried about the community and wanted all involved suspects turned in.
The most important legal question may be participation, not only the trigger pull. Felony murder cases can reach people accused of taking part in an underlying felony if someone dies during that crime. Prosecutors have described the underlying crime as an attempted armed robbery. Defense lawyers may challenge whether each teen knowingly joined a robbery, whether each knew a weapon was present and whether the evidence places each accused youth in the chase or struggle.
Investigators are likely to rely on several kinds of evidence. The phone call to Krause’s girlfriend helps establish why he accepted a ride. Surveillance footage helps place the vehicle, the chase and the direction Krause ran. Police reports, witness accounts and any forensic evidence from the alley could help show where the gun was fired and who was nearby. Public reports do not say whether the gun has been recovered or whether any property was taken from Krause.
The storm also remains more than background. It explains why Krause left the street for shelter and why a ride from strangers may have seemed useful. It also narrows the timeline to a night when visibility, traffic and foot movement may have been affected by weather. Prosecutors have not said that the teens used the storm to target him, but the weather is part of the sequence that led Krause from a celebration to a gas station, then to the car.
What happens next will depend on juvenile court rulings, charging decisions and any evidence prosecutors disclose in future hearings. Because the suspects are minors, many filings and hearings may reveal less than an adult homicide case. Still, the public record now shows the core allegation: Krause accepted a ride during a storm, tried to escape and was killed during an attempted robbery.
The investigation remains active, and the juvenile cases continue. As of the latest public updates, Milwaukee authorities had arrested multiple teens, prosecutors had moved forward with felony murder allegations and Krause’s family was waiting for the court process to answer what the video does not.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.