Man accused of shooting neighbor arrested, MPD chief says department ‘failed’ victim

Police on Monday arrested the Minneapolis man accused of shooting his neighbor last week, with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara telling the community the department “failed” the victim when officers failed to act urgently enough on the alleged harassment that led up to the shooting.

John H. Sawchak, 52, was taken into custody early Monday morning following a standoff in the 3500 block of Grand Avenue South.

Prosecutors charged Sawchak on Thursday with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor, Davis Moturi, while Moturi was trimming a tree that had crossed over onto his property on Wednesday.

According to the complaint, Moturi and his wife had filed multiple police reports alleging constant harassment by Sawchak in the year leading up to the shooting.

“In this particular instance, we failed this victim,” O’Hara said during a recent press conference.

"Somehow, we did not act urgently enough to prevent that individual from being shot,” he continued. “To that victim, I say, I'm sorry.”

According to charges, Sawchak has been reported to Minneapolis police at least 19 times since 2023 for vandalism, hate speech, verbal threats, and threats of physical assault.

Charges indicate all the incidents related to Sawchak's refusal to trim a tree, which had crossed over the property line and into Moturi’s yard.

Moturi was trimming parts of this tree Wednesday when Sawchak allegedly aimed a gun from his window and shot Moturi in the back of the neck.

Ring camera footage shows the moment Moturi is struck by the bullet and collapses.

Moturi didn't realize he had been shot until his wife brought him to the hospital, and medical providers identified a tiny puncture wound in the back of his neck, later identified as a bullet lodged near his spine.

"I should be dead," Moturi told Bring Me The News . "The way the shot was and all the organs that it missed on its way from my back to my torso, I'm lucky to be alive."

While talking about the harassment his wife has endured over the past year, Moturi expressed frustration over MPD's lack of action against Sawchak.

"They haven't made any legitimate attempt to arrest him," Moturi said. "When he was detained after assaulting me, the cops who responded let him go. They knew he had a warrant and still let him go."

According to court records, Sawchak had 13 harassment restraining orders (HROs) against him dating back to 2007.

Moturi recently filed an HRO in April because Sawchak allegedly threatened to put him in a hospital while holding a weapon.

At a press conference near the scene of the shooting, Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief O'Hara spoke about the arrest.

Frey said he's grateful for the work of police in "an extraordinary dangerous situation."

"You have an individual with mental illness, likely possessing firearms, with knowledge of explosive devices, and all this is happening in a residential area," Frey said. "Our officers did this the right way. Several individuals, including council members, have been out there telling them to barge in immediately. I stand with our police officers."

Councilmember Aurin Chowdhury responded to Mayor Frey's comments during the presser on Twitter , expressing relief that Sawchak was finally behind bars despite the long journey it was to get him there.

"I'm grateful and sad that it took council members writing letters and getting media attention to get the executive to act," Chowdhury said. "It’s clear he didn’t like it, but when constituent lives are on the line, you need to advocate to the fullest extent, and personal feelings need to be put aside."

She added that she was "confounded" by Frey's statement suggesting council members were asking police to "barge in immediately" to arrest Sawchak, albeit after nine months of alleged harassment.

"There are no official statements or quotes from my colleagues that I have seen that point to that request," Chowdhury said.

Sawchak is currently being held at the Hennepin County jail on $1 million bail, and his first court appearance will be on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Related: MPD slammed after man who reported repeated harassment is shot by ‘neighbor from hell'