It was just over a month after a Black couple purchased their first home in Minnesota in 2023 that their white neighbor began to harass and threaten them, calling them racial slurs.
Davis Moturi, who had purchased the home with his wife, Caroline, for $418,000, called Minneapolis police to report that their neighbor, John Herbert Sawchak, had directed his water sprinkler to soak their home.
Police arrived, turned off the sprinkler, and were unable to locate Sawchak, so they left. But Moturi called them an hour later to report that Sawchak had turned the water back on and had been soaking their home for 30 minutes.
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When officers returned, they observed puddles in front of the home but left without arresting or citing the neighbor, setting a pattern of minimal intervention that continued for months, according to a lawsuit the Moturis filed in state court on June 4.
The 39‑page lawsuit states the Moturis called Minneapolis police multiple times over the next several months, but officers did nothing to stop the threats and harassment – even after gross‑misdemeanor and felony warrants for his arrest had been issued and never executed.
That is, until October 2024, when Sawchak shot Davis Moturi in the neck while the Black man was using a chainsaw to prune a tree near the property line dividing the two properties, leaving him with “severe and permanent injuries,” the claim states.
Four days later, Minneapolis police arrested Sawchak after a five-hour standoff with SWAT. Prosecutors charged the then-54-year-old man with multiple felonies: attempted second‑degree murder, first‑degree assault motivated by racial bias, stalking, and aggravated harassment based on race.
But in April, a judge determined Sawchak was incompetent to stand trial, pausing the criminal case against him. He remains in custody with a $1 million bond.
Previous Owners Failed to Disclose Problem Neighbor
The lawsuit names as defendants Sawchak, former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the city of Minneapolis, and the couple who sold the Moturis their home without warning them about their dangerous neighbor, Erik and Jessica Hane.
The Hanes, who are white, also had numerous altercations with Sawchak, calling police several times and describing him as violent and threatening, but no arrests were made in response to those complaints.
Property records show the Hanes bought the home in March 2018 for $325,000. Court records indicate Sawchak had prior arrests dating back to 2000, and in a 2016 case he was described as “mentally ill and dangerous,” long before his 2024 arrest for shooting Davis Moturi.
“The Hanes made intentional and material omissions and misrepresentations during the sale process, which they never corrected at any point prior to the September 8, 2023 closing,” the claim states.
“Despite having endured a pattern of escalating threats, harassment, and police involvement that made them fear for their safety and ultimately forced them to obtain a restraining order, the Hanes made the calculated decision to conceal this information from Plaintiffs.”
Under Minnesota law, sellers of residential real property must disclose all material facts they know that could adversely or significantly affect a buyer’s use and enjoyment of the property or the buyer’s intended use.
The disclosure must be made in good faith, based on the seller’s best knowledge at the time, to prevent sellers from dumping hidden problems onto unsuspecting buyers.
The claim states the Haneses called police on their neighbor at least five times in the months leading up to the sale, yet alleges police did not stop the harassment and threats.
Chief Blames Victim
Adding insult to injury, former Chief O’Hara blamed the Moturis for escalating the conflict during a press conference announcing Sawchak’s arrest.
“During an October 25, 2024 press conference, former MPD Chief Brian O’Hara partly blamed Mr. Moturi for getting shot by making the following false statement: ‘In addition, the situation escalated in part by actions that were precipitated by the victim,’” the claim states.
O’Hara — who resigned in May after an investigation found he interfered with a probe into alleged relationships with city employees — retracted the remark two days later during another press conference.
“In this particular instance, we failed this victim. 100 percent. Because that should not have happened. The Minneapolis Police did not act urgently enough to prevent that individual from being shot. And to that victim, I say I am sorry.”
The Moturis called police dozens of times to report threats and verbal abuse, but it was only after Sawchak followed through on his threats and shot Davis Moturi that officers arrested him four days later.
Before that, Sawchak had repeatedly called Davis Moturi a “Black bastard” and a “monkey,” accused him of turning the neighborhood into a “ghetto.”
“You Black people, all you do is ruin things,” the claim states.
“The ongoing harassment, acts of violence, racial discrimination, death threats, and intimidating behavior by Mr. Sawchak profoundly and continuously interfered with Plaintiffs’ use and enjoyment of the Property,” the lawsuit states.
“Plaintiffs endured sleepless nights, loss of appetite, emotional distress, and a constant fear of leaving or remaining in their home.”
“On October 23, 2024, that escalation reached its most violent and devastating point. While Mr. Moturi was outside using a chainsaw to prune a tree near the property line, he was shot in the neck by Mr. Sawchak, causing severe and permanent injury.”
