A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a so-called “neighbor from hell” accused of shooting his next door neighbor in the back for trimming a tree, with Minneapolis Police Department under scrutiny for its delayed response to the suspect’s alleged campaign of harassment.
John Sawchak, 54, had been reported to MPD at least 19 times since 2023 for vandalism, hate speech, verbal threats, and threats of physical assault, all due to a tree on Sawchak’s home that crosses over into the victim’s property, which he refuses to trim.
The feud came to a head on Tuesday when Sawchak allegedly shot his neighbor, Davis Moturi, while Moturi was trimming parts of the tree that crossed over onto his property on the 3500 block of Grand Avenue South.
Sawchak has not yet been arrested, according to MPD Chief O’Hara, who in a press conference appeared to place partial blame on the victim, saying “the situation escalated in part by actions precipitated by the victim” and it could have been avoided if the victim had left the tree alone.