Man accused of shooting Minneapolis neighbor arrested after standoff

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man accused of shooting his neighbor days ago in Minneapolis was arrested early Monday morning following an hours-long standoff, according to police. 

What’s new?

Police attempted to take a man into custody on Sunday night, for allegedly shooting his neighbor who was cutting a tree in Minneapolis.

Law enforcement surrounded his home on Grand Avenue South near 35th Street around 10 p.m. and for more than three hours, authorities tried to negotiate with the suspect, who authorities identified as John Sawchak.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that, in addition to the SWAT team, crisis negotiators were brought in, along with a psychiatrist, and police even talked with Sawchak’s family. The chief explained the SWAT team was being extra cautious because, in addition to the cache of weapons, they believed the 54-year-old suspect had knowledge of improvised explosives. 

Around 1:30 a.m., Sawchak was taken into custody after exiting the backdoor of his home. 

Sawchak's first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. 

What they’re saying

"We called in dozens of officers to assist, including members of our SWAT team, drone team, crisis negotiators, and patrol, as well as command staff. I'm thankful to report that after a series of steps were taken, very methodically and systematically, constantly giving announcements and advising the individual what we were doing each step of the way, ultimately the individual safely emerged from the house, prior to us needing to insert gas into the house," said Chief O’Hara, adding "We identified issues of concern, including firearms inside and also knowledge of IEDs. Thankfully, our officers were able to peacefully arrest this individual tonight, after several hours of a SWAT operation."

Minneapolis Mayor Jabon Frey also commented on the issue saying, "I know there have been several individuals, including council members, urging us to immediately barge in and do this the wrong way. I stand with our police officers."

Background

Sawchak has been civilly committed in the past. Court documents show Sawchak has an extreme risk protection order. It shows he threatened to kill a neighbor multiple times, made threats to shoot his sister, and slashed an off-duty police officer's tire.

The threats and acts of violence date back to 2016. Currently, Sawchak faces second-degree attempted murder, assault, and harassment charges after investigators say he shot his neighbor, Davis Moturi. 

"In this particular instance, we failed this victim 100%, because that should not have happened to him," O’Hara previously said.

On Sunday, O’Hara apologized for his officers’ response to the situation.

"The Minneapolis Police somehow did not act urgently enough to prevent that individual from being shot," said O’Hara.

Moturi’s wife Caroline has been back to their home two times with a police escort. She previously told FOX 9 a lieutenant asked her to be patient with the police department.

"I said, patience is what has gotten my husband shot. We’ve been patient for over a year," said Caroline Moturi, Davis' wife.