A Minneapolis man is recovering in the hospital after allegedly being shot on Wednesday by his neighbor, against whom he’s filed several harassment complaints over the last several months.
The suspect, John Herbert Sawchak, 54, has managed to evade arrest for months despite multiple active warrants that preceded Wednesday’s shooting. Sawchak is now charged in this week’s shooting with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, stalking, and aggravated harassment motivated by bias.
The victim, Davis Moturi, began messaging Crime Watch Minneapolis several months ago with photos, videos, and documentation of alleged harassment and threats against him by his neighbor, Sawchak, which have occurred on the 3500 block of Grand Avenue South, where the two live next door to each other.
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A police report was made in March in a separate assault case with another neighbor. Formal charges have yet to be filed because Mary Moriarty's office declined to charge a felony. Now the city attorney will review for possible lesser charges.The same victim has had numerous… pic.twitter.com/PNjRN4cTa0
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) April 7, 2024
The documentation included images of feces dumped in Moturi’s mailbox, video of an air horn being blown in the middle of the night, and threats of violence, including Sawchak wielding a sharp garden instrument at Moturi while he was on a ladder. The documentation also included a prior assault report involving another female neighbor who was allegedly chased while walking her dog by Sawchak who was wielding a stick.
This past Wednesday, police were dispatched to HCMC on a report of a shooting where the victim had already been transported to the hospital, according to police scanner audio. Sawchak was later named as the suspect in the shooting, which had occurred on the 3500 block of Grand Avenue South.
Video supplied by Moturi to Crime Watch showed Moturi trimming brush with a chainsaw when he suddenly fell to the ground after apparently being shot.
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Crime Watch received a copy of home surveillance video showing the shooting of the neighbor on 35th and Grand Ave S on Wednesday, allegedly by John Sawchak, who is not yet in custody. The neighbor is still hospitalized with a bullet lodged near his spine. pic.twitter.com/jmaef7Q4HK— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) October 25, 2024
Moturi told Crime Watch in messages that he felt both the Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office were not taking his complaints of harassment by Sawchak seriously. Moturi, who is black, alleges Sawchak, who is white, has targeted him because of his race. Moturi also alleges that he’s not being taken seriously by authorities due to “racism.” Moturi said that felony charges weren’t filed against Sawchak for threats until his wife, who is white, was threatened by Sawchak.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara held a press conference on Friday to discuss the case, which has now gained local media attention since the shooting, and allegations that his department isn’t doing everything possible to apprehend Sawchak. However, the chief appeared to become defensive while explaining that Sawchak is “mentally ill” and is “known to possess firearms.” He said that a lieutenant and patrol officers have made multiple attempts to contact Sawchak while trying to avoid escalation to an armed confrontation. O’Hara stated that Sawchak has refused to answer the door when police approached, and they have not been able to find him outside the home on numerous occasions.
“We are not going to bust the door down guns blazing and get into a deadly force situation; that’s not going to happen,” O’Hara said, while making reference to the “current rhetoric” around policing and how it hampers their ability to effect lawful arrests.
O’Hara said the attention on the case now puts his officers in more danger while trying to apprehend Sawchak. O’Hara also alluded to the fact that his officers “are scared of being prosecuted” if they make a mistake while trying to do their job.
Moturi told Crime Watch that the bullet went through his neck and all the way to his spine, but “hasn’t touched anything serious.” Moturi said that one of his vertebrae was cracked in the incident, either due to the gunshot or the resulting impact when he fell.
Moturi said he’s always treated officers with respect, but was met with comments such as telling him to just move.
A search of property records shows that Sawchak owns the residence he’s occupying, but owes several years of back property taxes totaling over $43,000.
As of early Saturday morning, Sawchak was still not in custody.
Update: Sawchak was taken into custody overnight Sunday. Chief Brian O’Hara and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a media briefing at 2:30 a.m. Monday to announce Sawchak’s arrest.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
