Officers recent to the Minneapolis Police Department recite an oath—swearing to “protect my community from those that would seek to cause harm.”
Minneapolis Police Oath of Office
“I, [name], do solemnly swear that I’ll support the Structure of america, the Structure and laws of the State of Minnesota, and the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Minneapolis;
That I shall, in recognition of my service as a peace keeper, first do no harm, that I’ll upload and safeguard the sanctity of life, and that I’ll shield and protect my community from those that would seek to cause harm;
That I shall intervene in protest, each verbally and physically, if I witness anyone violating one other’s rights;
That I recognize those I serve are members of the human family worthy of dignity and respect, and my term in office shall be guided by my love of service to the community and the grace of humanity.” – Adopted June 2020
The department now admits failure in upholding that oath within the aftermath of the shooting of 34-year-old Davis Moturi by neighbor and known risk John Sawchuk. Following a 12 months of escalating threats, intimidation, and assaults, Sawchuk shot Moturi once within the neck—fracturing his spine, breaking two ribs, and causing a concussion.
Three previous warrants were issued in Hennepin County for Sawchuk’s arrest in reference to threats to Moturi and other neighbors dating back greater than a 12 months.
On Oct. 24—in the future after the shooting—Sawchak was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking, and harassment. He remained at large until Oct. 28, when Minneapolis police finally apprehended Sawchuk, who was taken into custody and held on $1 million bail.
A coalition of Twin Cities-based police accountability organizations has issued a press release calling for an independent investigation of the incident, the termination of Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, and the resignation of Mayor Jacob Frey.
“The conduct of Chief O’Hara and Mayor Frey is unconscionable. They’ve shown throughout this affair that they’re each unwilling and incapable of keeping the community protected,” reads the statement, issued through Communities United Against Police Brutality. “The Minneapolis Police Department can’t be reformed under their leadership. We also call for an intensive investigation to find out why town allowed a person to menace his neighbors for a decade and why the Moturis’ pleas for help went unanswered.”
The Moturis reported no less than 19 instances of vandalism, property destruction, theft, harassment, hate speech, verbal threats, and physical assault because the couple moved round the corner within the 3500 block of Grand Avenue last September. Despite multiple pending warrants for his arrest, Sawchak remained at large. Wanted flyers went up across the neighborhood several months before, declaring Sawchak “armed and dangerous” and advising residents to call 911 should they see him.
In a web-based fundraiser, Caroline Moturi detailed how the harassment began when the couple moved into their home.
“We bought our first home in September of 2023. What must have been the beginning of an exquisite chapter with my husband became a living nightmare. Shortly after moving in our neighbor began harassing us, threatening us, and stalking us. Despite multiple calls to the police for help, we were consistently informed nothing could possibly be done. At one point an officer who responded to our distress told us to ‘just move out.’
“As well as, Davis did manage once to physically restrain John [Sawchuk] when he was outside with other neighbors and witnesses present. 911 was called and officers arrived to the scene just for the officers to LET HIM GO despite there being an energetic warrant out for his arrest,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Authorities had identified Sawchuk as a threat long before.
In August 2016, a Hennepin County judge ordered Sawchak committed to a mental health treatment facility after a health care provider determined he was affected by several psychological illnesses and that Sawchak posed “a considerable likelihood of causing harm.”
Police also said that they’d been attempting to detain Sawchak since April. Given the presence of firearms, O’Hara dismissed carrying out a high-risk warrant for fear that it may lead to a violent confrontation where officers “could have to make use of deadly force.”
“What’s appalling is the dearth of motion by police,” Michelle Gross with Communities United Against Police Brutality told the MSR. “They said they wouldn’t take motion for ‘officer safety.’ That’s your job! You expected this family to cope with this outrageous harassment but don’t feel protected to approach.
“Police Chief O’Hara doesn’t have the leadership skills or cultural understanding to guide the MPD. He has to go. They were scared to take motion but expected that family to live under [Sawchuk’s] tyranny.
“Mayor Jacob Frey was silent. When he finally did speak, he defended the police,” Gross continued. “He said they left him at large for five days since the police ‘had other things to do.’”
Two days after the shooting, five city council members sent a letter to Frey and O’Hara expressing their “utter horror at [the Police Department’s] failure to guard a Minneapolis resident from a transparent, persistent, and amply reported threat posed by his neighbor.”
The council members—Andrea Jenkins, Elliott Payne, Aisha Chughtai, Jason Chavez, and Robin Wonsley—wrote that the Police Department told the County Attorney’s Office that “officer safety” was the rationale police didn’t execute the warrant.
“I still haven’t received an adequate response to the questions we raised in our letter to Frey and O’Hara,” said Jenkins, who represents Ward 8 in south central Minneapolis. “The immediate arrest of Sawchak was delivered on. When it comes to why it didn’t occur sooner, I haven’t received answers about that. The chief admitted that they failed this resident, and so they are making some policy changes to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t occur again.
“We’re short-staffed here at town of Minneapolis,” said Jenkins. “We’re down about 300 cops. It’s deeply unlucky that Davis got shot, however the opportunities to arrest this person were slim. Definitely, the cops could have worked faster.”
Minneapolis police officials laid out plans in late October for the department’s proposed $230 million budget for 2025, a 6% increase over current funding levels. Applications to Minneapolis police are also up 45% in comparison with last 12 months, with 1,014 applications; there have been a complete of 697 in 2023.
The incident comes just weeks before town is about to release development plans for George Floyd Square. The brutal murder of Floyd by police in May 2020 stays an open wound for the community.
“It isn’t enough for our city or police force to confess fault. People should be held accountable,” said Trahern Crews, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota. “So many Black men have been murdered by the police, and none of them have been given the identical compassion or grace that has been offered to known armed and dangerous white residents. Davis Moturi, George Floyd, Travis Jordan and so many others deserved higher.
“With every thing that has happened here,” Crews continued, “we thought that these kind of things wouldn’t proceed to occur. We thought the state of Minnesota, especially town of Minneapolis, had learned its lesson. Now, it seems Minnesota goes backward socially, politically, and economically.”
Following a comprehensive investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in June 2023 that the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct in violation of the U.S. Structure and federal law.
Specifically, the Justice Department found that Minneapolis police:
- Uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable use of tasers;
- Discriminates against Black and Native American people in its enforcement activities, including the usage of force following stops;
- Violates the rights of individuals engaged in protected speech; and
- Together with town, discriminates against individuals with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance.
The Department concluded that persistent deficiencies in policy, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to Minneapolis police’s illegal conduct.
“The disparities in how our police department treats Black residents are unattainable to disregard,” said Monique Cullars-Doty, who’s been a outstanding activist since her nephew was shot and killed by Minneapolis police in 2015.
“In 2022, when Tekle Sundberg, a person battling severe mental illness, was reported to the police, they detailed a plan they’d to utilize rubber bullets and gas to apprehend him. But after six hours, snipers shot him while he was taking a selfie within the window. They do have the resources and the know-how to right away act, and in a non-lethal matter, but they don’t value Black lives. That’s the issue.”
Alexzia Shobe welcomes reader responses to ashobe@spokesman-recorder.com.