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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

“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.”