A 54-year-old Minneapolis man charged with shooting a neighbor last week was arrested early Monday following an hours-long SWAT operation. John Sawchak has been charged with attempted murder, stalking and harassment stemming from racial bias. Court filings allege that the shooting followed “almost constant harassment of the victim and his wife” by Sawchak since they purchased their home more than a year ago.
The Minneapolis Police Department’s handling of the case — over the months that the neighbors reported threats, and over the days between Sawchak being charged and taken into custody — have drawn criticism, including from city council members, reports Minnesota Public Radio. Sawchak was charged Thursday in the previous day’s shooting of his neighbor, while the neighbor was trimming a tree in his front yard. Davis Moturi suffered a fractured spine and at least two fractured ribs.
Moturi and his wife had called police at least 19 times since they bought their home in September 2023 to report “vandalism, property destruction/theft, harassment, hate speech, verbal threats, and threatened physical assaults.” Sawchak allegedly screamed racial slurs at Moturi and threatened to kill him, while brandishing a knife. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said police had made multiple attempts over months to contact Sawchak but weren’t able to do so. He described Sawchak as someone who has mental illness and was known to have access to firearms. O’Hara said there was a delay in arresting him as the department spoke with Sawchak’s family members and a psychiatrist to gather information He said officers exhausted other options for resolving the situation without force, leading to the SWAT response overnight. Sawchak emerged from his residence just before 1:30 a.m. Monday, after police told him they were about to use gas in the building.
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