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Minneapolis man accused of shooting neighbor arrested; chief says police ‘failed’ victim

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Minneapolis man accused of shooting neighbor arrested; chief says police ‘failed’ victim


“We failed this victim,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara Sunday night. “He should not have been shot.”

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A Minnesota man suspected of shooting his neighbor while he was cutting a tree was arrested and charged early Monday morning. His neighbor reported him to police several times before the shooting, officials say.

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The suspect, John Herbert Sawchak, 54, is believed to have shot his neighbor, Davis Moturi, on Oct. 23 from inside his Minneapolis home while the victim was cutting a tree.

The victim reported Sawchak several times before, including after Sawchak is said to have threatened to shoot the victim if he touched the same tree he was cutting when Wednesday’s shooting occurred, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

When Moturi’s wife got home, she believed her husband had suffered from a heart attack and Emergency Medical Services transported him to the hospital, O’Hara said during a press briefing Friday.

There, medical personnel discovered he’d been shot.

The victim could not remember what happened before he was found unconscious, including that fact that he was shot, O’Hara said. No witnesses were around at the time of the shooting.

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USA TODAY reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department. Sergeant Garrett Parten confirmed the victim’s name and directed USA TODAY to the press briefing on YouTube for the latest information.

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Suspect arrested days later

Sawchak was arrested peacefully Monday morning after a SWAT operation that lasted several hours.

“Minneapolis Police exhausted all of our efforts to peacefully bring the situation to resolution (prior) to escalating the use of force with a SWAT team and special tactics,” said O’Hara.

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Sawchak was charged with the following felonies, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department:

  • Second-degree attempted murder
  • First-degree assault
  • Stalking
  • Harassment

The suspect is being held on a $1 million bail and is set to a court appearance on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., according to the department’s arrest records.

Police chief apologizes

The victim had also reported his neighbor several times before the shooting and made several 911 calls regarding Sawchak. He also reported his neighbor before when he threatened to shoot him if he touched a specific tree, according to O’Hara.

“We failed this victim,” O’Hara said Sunday night. “He should not have been shot.”

When police responded to the calls, Sawchak refused to open the door and speak with officers, according to O’Hara.

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A lieutenant had gone to the suspect’s house over 20 times. The number does not include the times other officers have been called to the address.

This led to the lieutenant giving his phone number to the victim, said O’Hara. The lieutenant asked the victim to call him when he did see Sawchak leave his home.

High-risk warrant

Before Sunday night, police had concerns over an altercation and wanted to arrest the suspect where he did not have access to his firearms, but O’Hara said the man was a “recluse” and did not leave his house often.

The suspect, who O’Hara said was “mentally ill,” was known to possess firearms, had violent confrontations in the past and refused to cooperate in “the dozens of times that police officers have responded to the residence.”

The execution of the arrest warrant was deemed “high-risk.”

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“Based on our assessment, the likelihood of an armed, violent confrontation where we may have to use deadly force with the suspect in this case is high,” said O’Hara during a press briefing on Friday. “Prior to Wednesday, all we had was a threats warrant.”

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Trump vows to ‘take care of Cuba,’ praises Venezuela cooperation at summit

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Trump vows to ‘take care of Cuba,’ praises Venezuela cooperation at summit

President Trump signs a proclamation committing to countering cartel criminal activity at the Shield of the Americas Summit.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP


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Rebecca Blackwell/AP

President Trump on Saturday launched the Shield of the Americas Summit – a coalition of Latin American leaders – with a pledge to “take care of Cuba,” as the United States increases its intervention in the region.

“Many of you have come today and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba.’ Because you have problems with Cuba, right?,” Trump said to the gathering of Latin American leadership.

“I was surprised, but four of you said, actually, ‘Could you do us a favor?’ Take care of Cuba.’ I’ll take care of it, ok?” he continued to applause from the crowd.

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Attending the meeting were the leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. The event was hosted at the Trump National Doral Miami golf course in Doral, Florida.

His comments follow tension between Cuba and U.S. and as many Cuban-Americans are hoping for a change in regime for the communist nation.

The Trump administration has eased a blockade of Venezuelan oil, allowing some private sector oil sales to Cuba. The country has been experiencing fuel shortages and blackouts that have left millions without power, according to The Associated Press.

Since the United States’ capture and arrest of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, in January, those who wish to see Cuba’s government toppled see Trump’s stance on foreign intervention as a signal that America might similarly help orchestrate the ouster of Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel.

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Speaking to the change in Venezuela’s leadership since Maduro’s capture, Trump praised acting-President Delcy Rodríguez for her cooperation with the United States.

“She’s doing a great job because she’s working with us. If she wasn’t working with us, I would not say she’s doing a great job. In fact, she wasn’t working with us, I’d say she’s doing a very poor job, unacceptable, but she’s doing a great job,” Trump said.

He continued that because of U.S. assistance, Venezuela’s economic picture was considerably sunnier because of American oil exports and forthcoming gold and mineral trades.

Trump has hailed the transition from Maduro’s leadership is the model for regime changes.

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Iran warns it will hit US bases across region hours after president’s apology

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Iran warns it will hit US bases across region hours after president’s apology

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Cleveland playground now a place of mourning for two girls found in suitcases

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Cleveland playground now a place of mourning for two girls found in suitcases

It’s called Saranac Playground, and when the weather is nice it becomes a magnet for the children who live on the east side of Cleveland.

But in recent days, this small patch of green has been visited by a stream of mourners seeking to pay their respects to two little girls who were found there stuffed inside suitcases and buried in shallow graves.

In the days since the bodies of 8-year-old Mila Chatman and her half-sibling, 10-year-old Amor Wilson, were found on Monday, a shrine of stuffed animals and flowers has grown.

So has the mystery surrounding their deaths.

Their mother, 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder.

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During her first court appearance on Friday in Cleveland Municipal Court, she was not asked about the tragedy that has landed her in handcuffs, shocked her hometown and drawn national attention.

Municipal Court Judge Jeffrey Johnson set Henderson’s bond at $2 million, citing “the nature of the allegations” and his concern for public safety.

Dressed in a blue sweatshirt and surrounded by court officers, Henderson remained impassive.

“Thank you” were the only words she uttered during the brief hearing, in response to the judge wishing her good luck.

Earlier, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristine Travaglini revealed at the hearing that the bodies of the little girls were “badly decomposed.”

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So far, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has not said how and when the little girls died, but did confirm that a DNA investigation showed they were related as half-siblings.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said neither child had been dismembered.

Henderson, who lives near Saranac Playground, had another child living at her home when police took her into custody on Wednesday, Todd said earlier this week.

The Department of Children and Family Services has taken custody of the child, who appears to be in good health, Todd said. But she did not provide any other information about the child.

A man who had been walking his dog reported the grim discovery on Monday at the playground, which is located near an all-boys public school called the Ginn Academy.

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Responding to the 911 call, Cleveland homicide detectives confirmed the man’s dog had located the body of a young girl, and they quickly found a second shallow grave with a suitcase that contained another body.

“It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff … and she was taking too long,” Phillip Donaldson told WEWS-TV. “So I went back and looked, and it was a suitcase that was half-buried, and I pulled it up and looked in it, and it was a head. Somebody’s head in it.”

Donaldson said that pile of dirt had been there for at least a week.

On Thursday, Deshaun Chatman, who said he was the father of Mila Chatman, visited the spot where the girl had been buried. He told local reporters that he had not had any contact with his daughter for several years. He said Henderson kept “ducking” him and that he’d been in touch with DCFS numerous times about getting custody of Mila.

“I just feel useless,” Chatman said. “I couldn’t save my daughter.”

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Asked about Deshaun Chatman’s assertion that he had been trying get custody of his daughter, Cuyahoga County spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia in a statement called the girls’ deaths “a tragedy for their families and our entire community” and declined to disclose any further information, citing an active criminal investigation and confidentiality obligations under Ohio law.

NBC News has reached out to Henderson’s mother for comment.

Back in 2019, Henderson and her daughters were mentioned in a Cleveland Plain Dealer article about a local hospital’s program to help struggling families.

It featured a photo of a smiling Henderson holding then 3-year-old Amor on her lap and Henderson’s mother holding Mila, who was almost 2 at the time.

“I could really use the help,” Henderson said in the story.

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