A Hennepin County judge has set bail at $1 million without conditions for the Minneapolis man accused of shooting his neighbor last month.
According to a transcript of the Oct. 29 hearing, John Sawchak denies the charges against him and expressed a desire to obtain restraining orders against people he claims are “stalking him”.
Sawchak gained national media attention after he allegedly shot his neighbor, Davis Moturi , in October while Moturi was doing yard work. The shooting was only the most recent escalation in what Moturi alleges has been a year of consistent racial harassment and death threats.
Minneapolis police have been criticized for how long it took to arrest Sawchak, who is now charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment in connection with the case.
Sawchak newly appointed public defender, Elizabeth Karp, said in court on Oct. 29 that Sawchak “denies the allegations that are in front of him”, according to the transcript.
Karp argued for his bail to cover all four open cases, including the second-degree attempted murder charge against Moturi, noting Sawchak is currently unemployed and has no way of paying for bail.