Minneapolis man says he repeatedly reported neighbor for harassment to no avail before being shot by him
MINNEAPOLIS — Davis Moturi said he was doing yard work outside his south Minneapolis home Wednesday afternoon when his neighbor shot him.
Moturi is now at Hennepin Healthcare with a bullet stuck near his spine. He does not know when he'll get out of the hospital and doesn't know if, or how, the bullet will be removed.
A Minneapolis man has been charged with attempted murder in connection to the shooting.
The man, identified as John Sawchak, is charged with four counts: second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault with the intent to inflict great bodily harm, stalking and harassment.
Court documents show Sawchak is not currently in police custody, but is the subject of at least three active warrants for previous threats and acts of violence against the Moturi's as well as other neighbors.
It all stems from a problem neighbor, Moturi said. Those problems began when he moved into his Lyndale home just over a year ago.
"Saying like, 'Hey, if you touch that tree, things are going to happen to you,'" said Moturi.
Not long after moving in, Moturi said the man started making threats and racist comments. The neighbor was caught on tape, calling Moturi "ghetto."
Things escalated from there. Moturi said his neighbor dumped human waste into his mail slot, would sound an airhorn and scream late into the night.
While police have been out to his home numerous times, nothing has been done, Moturi said. He said a Minneapolis police commander told him that she didn't want to put her officers at risk, that they were frightened of the man.
The violent attacks and threats continued, from pointing knives and guns to a shovel attack, even threatening his wife.
Moturi said he had to use pepper spray to fend off the neighbor, while Moturi was putting up a surveillance camera to capture future incidents.
Moturi said he has reached out to the police chief, mayor, city council members and even the Department of Human Rights, but nothing has happened.
"Hopefully we can get something going because it's clear that me calling everybody and anybody hasn't really done much," said Moturi.
Moturi is now hoping that this attack, that could very well have taken his life, is what it will take to finally get some justice.
"Not only for me but there's other people around the neighborhood who have been victims," he said.
