Minneapolis, MN
Court filings from Minneapolis man accused of shooting neighbor show pattern of harassment
MINNEAPOLIS — Newly uncovered court documents accuse John Sawchak of a long history of violence.
The documents accuse Sawchak of striking a neighbor with a wooden stick, slashing the tires of a police car and threatening to kill other neighbors.
Last week, Davis Moturi said he was doing yard work outside his south Minneapolis home when Sawchak shot him.
Sawchak is charged with attempted murder for the shooting Moturi. His bail is set at $1 million.
Court documents show Sawchak’s issues with neighbors spans nearly a decade.
A request for a restraining order in 2015 is from a mother of three, who lived in the same home where Moturi lives now.
According to one of the documents, the mother wrote “Kids are afraid of sleeping in their rooms or using the restroom by themselves” and “I’m really afraid that something terrible might happen before something is done.”
In the same restraining order, she said, “police told us to keep calling” but “whenever they do come, John is already in his house and they can’t get him.”
In 2016, Carole Megarry filed for a restraining order after she said Sawchak would yell at her and record her.
The now-77-year-old writing at the time, “she was thinking [of] leaving the neighborhood and moving someplace where I do not have to worry about this man.”
“It was definitely intimidating, certainly state of vigilance always looking and listening,” Megarry said.
Instead of leaving, she adapted.
In 2022, things took a violent turn when she let her dog out.
“He came after me with a piece of lumbar about 4 inches long. He was yelling at me and chasing,” Megarry recalled. “I was afraid I could have been killed.”
Since that time, Megarry said she’s avoided Sawchak, going as far as not even walking in the alley of her home.
Neighbors said they are upset with how police handled the situation and how they let this situation with Sawchak go unnoticed.
Megarry said many neighbors knew not to engage with him and just ignore him.
While Sawchak’s home remains boarded up, neighbors like Megarry say they feel safer knowing he’s in custody, but at the same time, uneasy.
On Friday, the Minneapolis NAACP said dereliction of duty led to the shooting and wants a sincere apology from Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey. Minneapolis public information officers say O’Hara already did that during a press conference this week.
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One person is dead and eight others are hurt in a string of weekend shootings across Minneapolis.
Police say the first shooting occurred Friday around 5 p.m. near North Humboldt and 26th avenues. A man was outside of his home when shots rang out, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds.
Around 9:35 p.m. Friday, two men were shot outside in the area of north Lowry and Logan avenues.
Just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a man was found shot in an alley near Mortimer’s Bar and Restaurant off South Lyndale and Franklin avenues. He told police he was outside walking when he was hit.
Just before 12:50 a.m. Saturday, police say a man outside was shot near North Penn Avenue, just north of Highway 55, by someone driving by.
Around 1:50 a.m. Saturday, a man suffering from gunshot wounds showed up at Hennepin Healthcare, with police later determining he was shot in the area of North Lyndale and 45th avenues.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, a man showed up to Children’s Minneapolis hospital with a gunshot wound he said occurred when he was asleep inside his vehicle.
On Sunday around 1 a.m., a man was found laying on the ground near Bloomington Avenue and East 24th Street. He was brought to Hennepin Healthcare where he later died. Police say investigators “located evidence of gunfire, including a firearm recovered next to the man who died.”
On Sunday just before 1:30 a.m., a 15-year-old girl was shot in the area of Hennepin and Laurel avenues in downtown. Two boys, ages 14 and 15, were soon arrested in connection to the shooting.
And just before 1:50 a.m. Sunday, a man was found shot inside a business off Northeast Lowry Avenue and Fourth Street Northeast. Investigators believe the shooting began as an altercation in the business’s parking lot.
With the exception of the shooting of the 15-year-old girl, police say no arrests have been made in any of the cases. All surviving victims have injuries described by police as non-life threatening.
Anyone with information on any of these shootings can submit an anonymous tip online to Crime Stoppers, or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
A shooting in north Minneapolis injured a man near Penn Avenue.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers responded to a shooting near the 700th block of Penn Avenue North, where they found a man with a gunshot wound.
Authorities said preliminary information shows that the man was outside when the shooting happened, possibly coming from a vehicle. A nearby hospital treated the man for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are still investigating, with a forensic team collecting evidence from the scene. Officers said no arrests have been made.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
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