MINNEAPOLIS — Charges have been filed against a south Minneapolis man accused of shooting his neighbor after a long-simmering rift.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office filed charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment against 54-year-old John Herbert Sawchak after alleged racial comments escalated to threats, then culminated in that neighbor being shot while pruning a tree on the line between their two properties.
According to a criminal complaint, Minneapolis police responded to a hospital for a report of a gunshot victim on Wednesday night. The injured man had been transported from his home on Grand Avenue South for an unknown medical condition that caused him to collapse. The man was found in the fetal position by his wife when she got home from work that evening.
Officials later identified the victim as Davis Moturi.
At the hospital, providers found a small puncture wound in the back of Moturi's neck that led to the discovery of a bullet lodged near his spine. When he arrived at the hospital, he couldn't recall what led up to him being shot, according to the criminal complaint.
Moturi's wife told officials that he had been outside earlier in the day pruning a tree near their property line with a chainsaw. She said their neighbor, John Sawchak, had "almost certainly" shot her husband.
In the previous week, Moturi's wife said Sawchak told her husband “Touch my tree again and I’ll kill you."
The criminal complaint goes on to detail numerous complaints of harassment the Moturi's experienced since purchasing their house in September 2023.
- Oct. 11, 2023: Moturi approached Sawchak to discuss the tree on their property line. Sawchak became irate, according to the criminal complaint, yelling at Moturi and using "racially charged language." Sawchak told Moturi if he “touched” the tree, Sawchak would “take care of” him.
- March 1, 2024: Sawchak approached Moturi while he was working outside his house on a ladder. While verbally harassing him, officials said Sawchak told Moturi that he would put him in the hospital.
- April 5, 2024: Sawchak threw household items at Moturi from his 2nd-floor window.
- May 28, 2024: Sawchak verbally threatened Moturi, calling him “a Black bastard,” and telling him “I’m going to kill you if you call the police again. All you people do is lie and commit crimes.”
- Aug. 7, 2024: Sawchak verbally threatened Moturi from his 2nd story window. Moturi saw Sawchak holding up a large knife in the window while threatening to kill Moturi and his wife.
- Oct. 8, 2024: Sawchak verbally threatened and screamed racial slurs at Moturi from his 2nd-floor window. Sawchak also, once again, brandished a knife from his window while threatening to kill Moturi.
- Oct. 14, 2024: Moturi saw Sawchak outside Moturi's home with a firearm. Sawchak pointed the firearm at Moturi through the window.
On the evening of Oct. 23, Moturi's wife went home to pack some things and leave for the night, officials said. Sawchak verbally harassed her and shone a stone light on her as she left her home, the criminal complaint read. The next day, Moturi and his wife were able to access home security footage from their home cameras. The video shows Moturi working outside near the tree at the property line with his back to Sawchak's home. A faint "crack" or "pop" can be heard, then Moturi collapsed to the ground.
Moturi remains hospitalized with a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion. He spoke with KARE 11 from his hospital bed and said he feels the police failed to protect his family by not arresting Sawchak during one of the various other incidents.
"If you're saying you're scared, what does that do to me?" Moturi said. "You have this body armor, you have professional training… when I call for assistance, when I called for having a knife pointed at me, I had to wait hours and hours and hours."
As of Sunday morning, Sawchak is not in police custody. According to the criminal complaint, Sawchak has at least three active warrants associated with prior threats or acts of violence against Moturi and other neighbors. Sawchak has "actively evaded" police during their prior attempts to contact or arrest him.
A letter from ranking members of the Minneapolis City Council to Mayor Jacob Frey reflected anger and blame directed at the Minneapolis police department for allegedly failing to act on Moturi's numerous complaints against Sawchak before the shooting, and failing to arrest him immediately after the shooting.
"MPD still has not arrested the suspect despite charges from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Assault, Stalking, and Harassment and a request from the HCAO for a warrant with $1 million bail. MPD told the HCAO they do not intend to execute the warrant 'for reasons of officer safety,'” said the letter from the Minneapolis City Council.
Watch Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara's response below:
