A dangerous man, a shooting, a raid — and neighbors left to fend for themselves

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Last week, John Herbert Sawchak was charged with shooting our neighbor, Davis Moturi, in his yard from a window inside Sawchak’s home. News coverage has focused on the Minneapolis Police Department’s choice to wait outside of Sawchak’s residence to make an arrest (“MPD takes heat over south Mpls. shooting,” Oct. 26). Initial statements made by Police Chief Brian O’Hara talked about the safety of Sawchak and the safety of law enforcement officers. O’Hara used the phrase “the sanctity of life” in his first news conference; days later, he stated that the police force failed Moturi.

Yes. Our city failed Davis Moturi, whose physical injuries include a concussion and a spinal fracture. There is extensive documentation of emotional and physical assaults on Moturi, including racially based threats and hate speech. Moturi attempted to get help through several civic avenues. All failed him. Where was the honor for the sanctity of his life? Moturi is alive, but he is physically wounded and bears the responsibility for navigating the emotional journey following his neighbor’s racially fueled attempt to murder him. Moturi’s experience warrants serious reform. It didn’t need to be this way.

Second, hundreds of people live within the sight lines of Sawchak’s home. The windows to that second story from which Sawchak attempted to murder Moturi are visible from our yards, our driveways, our alley, our sidewalks. (The charges filed in Hennepin County District Court against Sawchak include second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment.) While we share an alley with Sawchak, our family received no communication from the city or law enforcement about the scenario down the block. While Moturi was shot on Wednesday of last week, it was not until Saturday morning that we became aware of the police stakeout in our midst via news coverage. We had been walking our dog past Sawchak’s house. Our children had been playing in our yard and the alley.

While news reports stated neighbors were given the option to evacuate, I spoke with a police officer roughly two hours before the SWAT team began their raid. I told him we lived on the block and were nervous. I was told we didn’t need to worry about being in our homes. No mention of evacuation was made. On Sunday evening, until nearly 2 a.m., my children attempted to sleep, hearing negotiators’ voices over a loudspeaker through our closed windows. They tried to sleep while hearing what sounded like gunshots, and they honored requests from me to stay away from all windows. Our lights were off.

On Sunday night, we heard police negotiators saying, “We know you have problems with your neighbors.” We are those neighbors. Police knew Sawchak was armed and dangerous, and had already shot a neighbor from his window. Minneapolis law enforcement did not communicate with neighbors to speak to the assurance of our safety or offer suggestions for how we might navigate Sunday evening regarding the presence of an armed man with a history of mental illness who was in a home down the block beyond knocking on the doors of the immediately adjacent apartment building. It didn’t need to be this way.

Finally, Moturi was not the first to raise concerns about Sawchak or request resources that might lead to more peaceful living in our neighborhood. He was one in a long line of neighbors who have felt unsafe, have experienced threats, or experienced vandalism to property over years. There are myriad examples of residents of our neighborhood requesting help, recognizing that Sawchak was not receiving the support he needed to be well or safe. In this sense, our city failed him, too. Sawchak’s mental illness is well-documented through formal institutions. I don’t know what the future holds for Sawchak, but I do know that if his health needs would’ve been met before Wednesday’s events, Moturi would be well. Sawchak wouldn’t be staring down incarceration and could be receiving support to heal rather than harm. It didn’t need to be this way.

We were all failed this week. The work of law enforcement is complex, the work to support mental illness is complex, the work to build community and fight against hateful beliefs that led to the attempted murder of Davis Moturi is complex, and the work needs to be done. It didn’t need to be this way.

Laurie Hahn Ganser lives in Minneapolis.