A Minneapolis white man is finally facing charges after he shot his Black neighbor during a dispute over a tree on shared property.

According to KARE 11, 54-year-old John Herbert Sawchak was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment for shooting his Black neighbor, Davis Moturi.

Authorities said tensions between Sawchak and Moturi had been escalating for months, characterized by harassment and racially charged threats against Moturi. Police said Sawchak threatened Moturi on several occasions, warning him not to “touch my tree again” or he would “kill” him.

White man shoots Black neighbor who was out working in his yard. The Black man has sustained injuries to his neck, chest and a concussion and ribs. The white neighbor has not been arrested yet because the police said they’re afraid of him. pic.twitter.com/tCTPYsiPni

— Movie Monster #ADOS (@Pauline98476699) October 27, 2024

The shooting, which took place Oct. 23, happened while Moturi was pruning a tree. He was later rushed to the hospital, where doctors found the bullet lodged near his spine. Moturi was left with significant injuries, including a fractured spine and broken ribs. Moturi’s wife was confident her husband was shot by Sawchak, telling police John Sawchak had “almost certainly” shot her husband.

Minneapolis police are now facing heavy criticism for not arresting Sawchak before the shooting even though he had multiple complaints.

Members of the Minneapolis City Council, including Mayor Jacob Frey, pointed blame at the Minneapolis police department for not acting on any of the prior complaints against Sawchak and failing to arrest him immediately after the shooting. 

“MPD still has not arrested the suspect despite charges from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Assault, Stalking, and Harassment and a request from the HCAO for a warrant with $1 million bail. MPD told the HCAO they do not intend to execute the warrant ‘for reasons of officer safety,’” the Minneapolis City Council said in a letter.

Minnesota Senator Omar Fateh also called out MPD, demanding an independent investigation.

“This failure to protect a Black resident from being shot as the result of months of escalation with all warning signs present and an arrest warrant in place is a sobering reminder of the racial inequities that persist in our policing system,” Fateh wrote on social media.

Moturi and his family had been dealing with Sawchak and his racist threats for a while.

According to a criminal complaint, the Moturi’s had experienced racist harassment from Sawchak since purchasing their house in September 2023. Below are some key points from the complaint:

Oct. 11, 2023: Moturi approached Sawchak to discuss the tree on their property line. According to the criminal complaint, Sawchak became irate, yelling at Maturi and using “racially charged language.” Sawchak told Moturi that if he “touched” the tree, Sawchak would “take care of” him.

March 1, 2024: Sawchak approached Moturi while working outside his house on a ladder. While verbally harassing him, officials said Sawchak told Moturi that he would put him in the hospital.

May 28, 2024: Sawchak verbally threatened Moturi, calling him “a Black bastard” and telling him, “I’m going to kill you if you call the police again. All you people do is lie and commit crimes.”

Oct. 8, 2024: Sawchak verbally threatened and screamed racial slurs at Moturi from his 2nd-floor window. Sawchak also, once again, brandished a knife from his window while threatening to kill Moturi.

According to CBS News, Sawchak was taken into custody early Monday morning. Police said Sawchak had been holed up in his house for several days, but just before 1:30 a.m., he surrendered peacefully.

When asked why the arrest took so long, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told WCCO, “We failed this victim.”

“There was extensive work by our officers to try and make contact and to try and bring this person into custody and we were unsuccessful and so yes, in that sense, we failed this victim,” O’Hara said. “He should not have been shot, but I will say this: We had no reason to suspect that he would shoot the neighbor from inside the house.”

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