Suspect wanted after shooting his neighbor for pruning a tree on his property line, victims say

The Moturis have filed 19 complaints against their neighbor for incidents ranging from hurled racial slurs to threats of assault

David Moturi, of Minneapolis, was allegedly shot by his neighbor after he pruned a tree on their property line on October 24, police said (Getty Images)

A man in Minneapolis has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot his neighbor for pruning a tree he believed was on his property, according to court documents.

David Moturi said he was shot by his neighbor, John Sawchak, while he was pruning a tree outside of his home Wednesday afternoon, CBS News reports. His wife told the broadcaster that she found her husband slumped over in the fetal position after she was finished with work.

Moturi was taken to a hospital, where doctors found a bullet wound in the back of his neck, and he is currently in stable condition.

His wife said that John Herbert Sawchak, 54, warned Moturi he would kill him if he touched the tree.

"Touch my tree again and I'll kill you," he allegedly told Moturi.

Moturi's wife said it wasn't the first time they had to contact police about their neighbor.

According to court documents, the Moturis have made 19 police reports involving Sawchak. Their complaints range from alleged vandalism to assault threats. In one complaint, the Moturis claim that the neighbor left human feces in their mailbox, and in another he allegedly hurled insults and slurs at the couple. That incident was reportedly caught on surveillance footage.

Sawchak has been charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault with the intent to inflict great bodily harm, stalking and harassment in connection to the Wednesday shooting.

According to police records, Sawchak has not been arrested in connection to the latest shooting. He is also currently wanted on three active warrants stemming from other incidents involving threats and violent acts against people in his neighborhood, including the Moturis.

According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, Sawchak has actively evaded prior attempts to contact or arrest him.

"We're not going to go in and bust his door down with guns blazing and get into a deadly force situation," he said during a Friday press conference.

The chief said he'd hoped officers could take him into custody outside of his home, but lamented that the suspect was a "recluse."

"We wanted to arrest the suspect where he would be least likely to have access to firearms. That is outside the residence," O'Hara said. "Unfortunately, in this case, this suspect is a recluse and does not often come out of the house."

The police chief also suggested that Moturi was somewhat to blame for escalating the incident, to which Moturi claimed O'Hara is "an effing liar."

The Minneapolis City Council was not content with the police department's feet dragging and sent a letter to O'Hara urging immediate action. O'Hara reportedly never responded to an email one council member sent asking for an explanation.

"MPD's failure to act has left Mr. Moturi asking, 'Am I not human like you?'" the City Council asked in its question. "We echo Mr. Moturi's heartbreaking question about why MPD did not protect this Black resident from a clear and serious threat, and why they continue to do so by failing to cooperate with the County Attorney's Office and failing to arrest the suspect."