By John Herbert Sawchak, a white Minneapolis man, has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, and felony harassment and stalking, enhanced for racial bias, in connection with the shooting of his Black neighbor, Davis Moturi. The incident occurred on Wednesday, following an ongoing dispute between the two men.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed the charges against Sawchak on Thursday, after receiving the case and reviewing the evidence. However, as of Saturday afternoon, Minneapolis police had not arrested Sawchak, despite having three active arrest warrants against him, including one for threats of violence against Moturi.
The failure to apprehend Sawchak has angered several Minneapolis City Council members, who sent a letter to Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the police of failing to protect Moturi from a clear and persistent threat.
Moturi, 34, was pruning a tree on his property when Sawchak allegedly shot him in the neck with a firearm from an open upstairs window. As a result of the shooting, Moturi fractured his spine, has two broken ribs, and a concussion, according to his wife, Caroline.
Chief O’Hara addressed the situation at a news conference on Friday, explaining that Sawchak has not been arrested because he is “mentally ill” and possesses firearms. The chief stated that officers have responded to Sawchak’s home dozens of times in the past, with Sawchak having “violent confrontations” and refusing to cooperate.
Court documents reveal that Sawchak suffers from mental illness and “paranoid personality disorder.” The police chief emphasized that executing a warrant would be deemed high-risk, with a high likelihood of an armed, violent confrontation where deadly force may be necessary.
Sawchak, described as a “recluse” who rarely leaves his home, has a long history of alleged threats and violent acts, according to court documents. Since 2007, he has had 13 harassment restraining orders filed against him, with the most recent one filed by Moturi.
The delay in arresting Sawchak has sparked criticism from City Council members, with Andrea Jenkins stating that violent criminals need to be taken off the street. Chief O’Hara defended the police’s actions, saying that officers are “scared of being prosecuted if they get into a situation where they make a mistake trying to do their job and protect the public.”
Moturi, who is currently in the hospital, expressed his frustration with the police’s failure to help him, saying, “In emails, I said specifically that it’s going to take something really, really bad to happen before anything’s done. And something really really bad did happen and he’s still free.”
The incident has highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by the Minneapolis Police Department, which was the subject of a federal investigation last year that found a pattern of excessive force and racial discrimination.
As the situation unfolds, the community awaits the arrest of Sawchak and justice for Moturi, while the Minneapolis Police Department faces scrutiny over its handling of the case and its ability to protect its citizens from known threats.
