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Minneapolis man shot by neighbor, says police were told of threats before

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Published  October 25, 2024 9:28pm CDT
Minneapolis
FOX 9

Minneapolis man shot by neighbor

A man who was shot by his neighbor in south Minneapolis says he warned police of threats he was receiving before it happened – and they didn’t do enough to stop it.

The Brief

    • Davis Motrui was allegedly shot by his neighbor John Sawchak on the 3500 block of Grand Avenue South in Minneapolis.
    • Motrui says a feud began brewing in October 2023 between him and Sawcha that had escalated to the point of him warning the Minneapolis police about threatening behavior prior to the shooting.
    • Sawchak, 54, now faces charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man is in the hospital tonight after he says his neighbor shot him.

But so far, Minneapolis police haven’t made an arrest yet, because Chief O’Hara wants to do it safely. 

What we know

Davis Moturi is currently recovering and expected to survive. 

Though he doesn’t remember much, he tells FOX 9 he’s had issues with his neighbor, John Sawchak since last year.

"I woke up in the hospital with tubes in my stomach and people telling me I was shot," Moturi told FOX 9.

Moturi says Sawchak shot him in the back, and a bullet is still there.

Sawchak, 54, faces charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment

What happened

He says it all started when was trying to cut a tree.

"I started cutting, I looked up and saw some movement in John’s house," said Moturi.

After that, Moturi says things got blurry because he hit his head.

He tells FOX 9 from his hospital bed that he’s had issues with Sawchak since last October.

Moturi says he’s filed multiple complaints about Sawchak and called Minneapolis Police.

"I stated that it's going to take for somebody to get really hurt before anything’s done, and someone really got hurt – I did, and still nothing was done," said Moturi.

So far, Minneapolis Police have not arrested Sawchak. 

Chief Brian O’Hara says that’s because Sawchak has a mental illness, and investigators have had trouble locating him due to his tendency to be a recluse in his home.

"We are not going to bust the door down, guns blazing, and get into a deadly force situation. That's not going to happen," Chief O’Hara said on Friday evening.

O’Hara says officers will need to use caution to protect everyone’s safety.

"My officers are in even greater danger when trying to make an arrest. If the suspect did not know before that we were looking for him, he certainly knows now," said O’Hara.

O’Hara has fought back against critics who say they haven’t done enough.

"Anyone who suggests that the police don't want to arrest this person is simply wrong. To be frank, the officers, however, are scared. They're scared of being prosecuted," said O’Hara.

But Moturi says he doesn’t believe that police are doing their job properly.

Meanwhile, O’Hara says they’re working around the clock to keep the community safe.