“We failed this victim”: MPD chief apologizes to man allegedly shot by neighbor

On Sunday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara apologized to a man who was shot by his neighbor after a year of harassment and intimidation.

The victim, Davis Moturi, believes his neighbor shot him and says he went to police several times over the past year about the threats.

At the time of this publication, that neighbor, John Herbert Sawchak, 54, has a warrant for his arrest. Sawchak faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment committed by bias.

During a news conference Sunday, Chief O’Hara said police failed Moturi.

“Yes. In this case, we failed this victim. 100%. Because that should not have happened to him. Somehow, the Minneapolis police did not act urgently enough to prevent that individual from being shot. And I tell that victim I’m sorry,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara’s apology comes after several members of the Minneapolis City Council called on Mayor Frey and the MPD to intervene and arrest Sawchak.

In response to O’Hara’s apology, Moturi told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Sunday night: “He didn’t apologize for much of anything. He said MPD failed me and I say you failed me. I approached you for help. Your officers failed me. “I asked for help at multiple times and when I asked you for help, you remained silent.”

Moturi says he was released from the hospital on Sunday night, but says he is afraid to return home while Sawchak is still in the house next door.

On Sunday night, a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS photographer captured Minneapolis police officers serving a warrant at Sawchak’s home. At 10:20 p.m., officers were speaking through an intercom and asking Sawchak to leave the home before authorities escalated the situation.

Moturi told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Friday that he installed a security camera in his home to capture evidence of the escalating threats. Video of the incident Wednesday night shows him trimming a tree near the property line of Sawchak’s apartment building before a “pop” is heard. The victim then falls back to the ground.

“I thought, ‘I need help.’ Part of my brain shut down,” Davis Moturi previously told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS from his hospital bed.