Minnesota man allegedly shot while doing yard work by neighbor amid year-long dispute

A Minnesota man was shot in the neck as he was cleaning up his yard by a 54-year-old neighbor who had warned him not to touch a specific tree on the property amid nearly a year of “racially charged threats.”

Surveillance footage of the shooting showed Davis Moturi working outside of his Minneapolis home pruning a tree when the bullet struck him in broad daylight.

Police alleged that Moturi’s neighbor, John Sawchak, pulled the trigger after months of growing tensions between the neighbors.

“The bullet went down through my neck, and then all the way back to my spine,” Moturi told KARE 11.

Davis Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor on Oct. 23.
The victim was shot in broad daylight as he was pruning a tree.

A criminal complaint, obtained by CNN, said Moturi, who is black, claimed his white neighbor used “racially charged language” in October 2023 and called him a “black bastard” in May.

Moturi reportedly called the police to report at least 19 incidents of threats, hate speech and harassment by Sawchak but nothing was done.

Moturi was hospitalized after the shooting and has a neck brace.

Moturi told police his neighbor threatened to shoot him “if he touched a specific tree.” While Moturi was cutting that tree, Shawchak allegedly shot the neighbor from his open upstairs window.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara admitted his department “failed” at preventing the shooting and agreed officers should have responded much sooner before Moturi was shot on Oct. 23, the outlet added.

“We failed this victim 100%,” Chief O’Hara admitted.

A still image from a surveillance video showing Sawchak outside of his house.

Cops knew Sawchak had mental health issues and tried to arrest the alleged gunman for at least six months, Chief O’Hara claims.

“We have been trying to get this person into custody safely, which would mean getting him outside of the house when he is not near guns or any other weapons,” Chief O’Hara added.

On Oct 28., a SWAT team and special tactics unit broke the windows of the accused shooter’s home after a behavioral threat team, a psychiatrist and members of his family failed to get him to come out of his home. 

When police entered the home, Sawchak surrendered and was taken into custody.

Sawchak faces several charges, including attempted murder, stalking and harassment.

Sawchak faces several charges including attempted murder.
Police claim Sawchak has mental health issues.

The community flooded the Minneapolis City Council meeting on Halloween to share their outrage over the police response.

The Minneapolis City Council passed a resolution requesting the city auditor to conduct an independent review of the city’s involvement and delayed response to the attack. 

“We have the responsibility to figure out how and why this lapse occurred and then carry out full accountability for any individual actors or city policies that allowed it to happen so it won’t be replicated,” Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley said during the meeting on Oct. 31.

Prosecutors say race played a role in the crime.

Sawchak was arrested on Oct. 28.

“I don’t call the police for fun. I call because I want my family to be safe,” Moturi told KARE 11 from his hospital bed.

“The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community,” a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote in a statement.