Court records of Minneapolis man accused of shooting at neighbor reveal pattern of stalking

MINNEAPOLIS — Newly discovered court documents accuse John Sawchak long history of violence.

The documents accuse Sawchak of hitting a neighbor with a wooden stick, slashing the tires of a police car and threatening to kill other neighbors.

Last week Davis Moturi said he was working in the yard outside his south Minneapolis home when Sawchak shot him.

Sawchak is charged with attempted murder over the Moturi shooting. His bail is set at $1 million.

Court documents show Savchak’s problems with his neighbors have been going on for nearly a decade.

The request for a restraining order in 2015 came from a mother of three who lived in the same house where Moturi now lives.

According to one of the documents, the mother wrote: “The children are afraid to sleep in their own rooms or use the toilet on their own” and “I am very afraid that something terrible will happen before something is done.”

In the same restraining order, she said, “the police told us to keep calling,” but “every time they come, John is already in his house and they can’t catch him.”

In 2016, Carol Megarry filed for a restraining order after she said Sawchak would yell at her and record her.

The 77-year-old woman wrote at the time: “She was thinking about leaving the area and moving somewhere where I wouldn’t have to worry about this person.”

“It was definitely scary, of course, the state of vigilance, always watching and listening,” Megarry said.

Instead of leaving, she adapted.

Things took a turn for the worse in 2022 when she let her dog outside.

“He was chasing me with a piece of my lower back that was about 4 inches long. He yelled at me and chased me,” Megarry recalls. “I was afraid that I might get killed.”

Since then, Megarry said she avoids Sawchak, not even walking down the alley of her home.

Neighbors said they were unhappy with how police handled the situation and how they left Sawchak’s situation undetected.

Megarry said many neighbors knew he wasn’t worth talking to and simply ignored him.

Although Sawchak’s home remains boarded up, neighbors like Megarry say they feel safer knowing he is in custody, but at the same time they feel uneasy.

On Friday, The NAACP in Minneapolis said dereliction of duty led to the shooting. and wants a sincere apology from Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey. Minneapolis public affairs officials say O’Hara already did that during a news conference this week.