Minneapolis man accused of shooting neighbor makes first court appearance on Tuesday
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man who is accused of shooting his neighbor and harassing that neighbor for months, made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
John Sawchak is charged with attempted murder for the shooting of his next-door neighbor, Davis Moturi. His bail was set at $1 million.
A full internal review is now underway of the Minneapolis Police Department's handling of all efforts leading up to the shooting of Davis Moturi.
Davis Moturi filed at least 19 reports with police about harassment and threats. That was before last Wednesday, when surveillance video caught Davis Moturi getting shot in the back of the neck, allegedly by his neighbor, Sawchak, from inside his home.
Sawchak was taken into custody early Monday morning after multiple attempts to get him to come out of his home.
Sunday night before the arrest, Police Chief Brian O'Hara apologized to Davis Moturi.
"I am sorry that this happened to you," said O'Hara.
He also defended his department.
"The other thing that is incredibly frustrating is we cannot, as a community, on one hand, say, 'Hey we want cops to use less force. We want less SWAT teams. We want more de-escalation,' and then when we actually do that, say, 'How come the cops didn't use the SWAT team right away?'" O'Hara said.
O'Hara said Sawchak's history of mental issues was taken into consideration and that officers wanted to arrest Sawchak sooner but chose to proceed with caution.
Use-of-force expert Timothy Dimoff believes securing the area and waiting was the best approach.
"Many times with people that especially have mental issues, time is your best ally," Dimoff said.
Davis Moturi's wife, Caroline Moturi, told WCCO Friday that the system failed her husband and Sawchak.
"This man clearly needs medication, assistance, support. Why isn't he in a group home?" she said.
Davis Moturi is now back home from the hospital. He says he is just hoping to get healthy in peace.
"I'm looking forward to recovering safely and securely from the comfort of my home," he said. "It's very disappointing that I'm left — I feel like a child. She has to help me get dressed and all that. I'm just glad that my lovely wife is here and that I'm still alive."
If you are being threatened by someone with mental health issues, crisis counselors recommend reaching out to your local mobile crisis team — like Hennepin County Cope.
Another option is to call in a welfare check on that person.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
