DUBUQUE – A Chicago man who shot his brother-in-law after a post-party dust-up was sentenced yesterday to over three years in federal prison.
David M. Caldwell, age 27, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a July 6, 2017, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a drug user.
In a plea agreement, Caldwell admitted that he traveled with his brother-in-law from Chicago to a party in Dubuque, Iowa, on February 2, 2017. Caldwell brought marijuana and ecstasy pills to the party. Early the next morning, Caldwell’s brother-in-law attempted to stop an intoxicated Caldwell from driving home, causing a fight. Caldwell retrieved a revolver from his car, shot his brother-in-law through the left thigh, and drove away. Police officers stopped Caldwell in Elizabeth, Illinois, where they found the revolver hidden under a fuse panel in his car.
Caldwell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Reade noted the extreme dangerousness of Caldwell’s actions. Caldwell was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment and a special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Caldwell is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, the Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
