A white Minneapolis man accused of shooting and critically injuring his Black neighbor had made a series of threats against the victim that critics say were ignored by police.
Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara admitted as much Monday, telling reporters , “Yes, we failed this victim — he should not have been shot.”
John Herbert Sawchak, 54, was arrested earlier Monday and charged with attempted second-degree murder following an extended standoff with MPD’s SWAT unit in connection to allegedly shooting his neighbor, Davis Moturi, 34, in the neck five days earlier. Moturi was pruning a tree that Sawchak had planted with his mother when the suspect started shooting from his upstairs window.
The previous week, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune , Sawchak allegedly pointed a gun at Moturi and told him, “Touch my tree again, and I will shoot you,” according to the criminal complaint.
Moturi sustained a fractured spine, two broken ribs and a concussion.
He had contacted police several times since April about harassment from Sawchak. O’Hara said police resisted arresting him because he was considered high-risk because he has a history of mental illness and possessed firearms.