Minneapolis man shot by neighbor – says police have heard about threats before

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis man is in the hospital tonight after he claims a neighbor shot him.

But so far, Minneapolis police We haven’t made an arrest yet because Chief O’Hara wants to do it safely.

What we know

Davis Motrui is currently recovering and is expected to survive.

Although he doesn’t remember much, he tells FOX 9 he has been having problems with his neighbor, John Sawchak, since last year.

“I woke up in the hospital with tubes in my stomach and people were telling me I had been shot,” Motrui told FOX 9.

Motrui says Sawchak shot him in the back and the bullet is still there.

Sawchak, 54, faces attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment

What happened

He says it all started when he tried to cut down a tree.

“I started cutting and looked up and saw some movement in John’s house,” Moturi said.

Motrui says everything went blurry after that because he hit his head.

He tells FOX 9 from his hospital bed that he has been having problems with Sawchak since October of last year.

Motrui says he filed multiple complaints against Sawchak and called the Minneapolis police.

“I figured before anything happened, someone really got hurt, and someone really got hurt, I did it and still nothing was done,” Motrui said.

So far, Minneapolis police have not arrested Sawchak.

Chief Brian O’Hara says it’s because Sawchak suffers from mental illness and investigators have had trouble finding him because of his tendency to be a recluse at home.

“We have no intention of breaking down doors, shooting and engaging in a situation with deadly force. It’s not going to happen,” Chief O’Hara said Friday night.

O’Hara says officers will need to exercise caution to protect everyone’s safety.

“My officers are in even greater danger when they try to make an arrest. If the suspect didn’t know we were looking for him before, he certainly does now,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara has battled critics who say they haven’t done enough.

“Anyone who suggests that the police do not want to arrest this person is simply wrong. Honestly, the officers are afraid. They are afraid of prosecution,” O’Hara said.

Moturi, however, says he doesn’t believe the police are doing their job properly.

Meanwhile, O’Hara says they are working around the clock to keep the community safe.