A man was arrested early Monday morning in Minneapolis on charges of second-degree attempted murder for reportedly shooting his neighbor after a fight that had been going on for a year.
John Herbert Sawchak, 54, was arrested after a tense standoff between a SWAT team and him. On Monday, he surrendered calmly, according to police.
Fox News reported on Monday that Sawchak is in jail and is suspected of second-degree attempted murder for reportedly shooting his neighbor Davis Moturi on the evening of Oct. 23, 2024. The case is being prosecuted by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.
It was a very scary time for Moturi, who talked to ABC News from his hospital bed on Sunday. “…just to know that you’ve been hurt like that.” You were not only shot but also shot in the neck, and people are trying to save your life. You’re not sure if you can make it.
ABC News got a copy of the probable cause statement that Moturi’s wife gave to police. It says that she told them that her husband was shot while he was outside cutting a tree near their property line. The event was caught on surveillance tape that ABC News got its hands on.
Moturi’s wife told police that the suspect told her, “Touch my tree again, and I’ll kill you,” which is what the probable cause statement says happened.
Police said that Moturi and Sawchak had been fighting for a year before the event.
The probable cause statement said, “Defendant has made numerous other threats and engaged in almost constant harassment of the victim and his wife since they purchased their home in September 2023.” It listed at least 19 other instances of “vandalism, property destruction/theft, harassment, hate speech, verbal threats and threatened physical assaults,” with the earliest one happening in October 2023.
Moturi told ABC News that his ongoing fight with his neighbor had a big effect on his life even before the killing.
ABC News got a copy of the charging papers that show Sawchak is now facing three more felony charges for stalking, harassment, and assault.
Monday morning, Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara told the press that Sawchak had multiple arrest warrants out for him, but he had stayed away from police for four days and wouldn’t come out of his house.
“It took all of our efforts as Minneapolis police to end this situation peacefully before using a SWAT team and other special tactics to make things worse,” O’Hara said.
“Thank goodness, our police were able to arrest this person peacefully tonight after a SWAT operation that lasted several hours,” he said.
ABC News tried to get in touch with Sawchak directly but couldn’t, and it’s not clear if he has hired a lawyer. Monday, Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty told ABC News that Sawchak is in jail and will be seen in court for the first time on Tuesday afternoon.
Police have tried “dozens of times” since April to arrest Sawchak, but O’Hara said on Monday that they “were unable to make contact with this individual.”
O’Hara agreed that the police “failed” to keep Moturi safe in this case.
When asked about previous efforts to arrest the suspect, O’Hara said, “We were unsuccessful.” “In that way, then, yes, we failed.” We let this person down. He shouldn’t have been shot. I will say this, though: we had no reason to think he would shoot the neighbor from inside the house.
Source: Suspect arrested on attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting neighbor amid year-long dispute
