The Minneapolis City Council will hear public comment on the city’s handling of a year-long dispute between neighbors that culminated in a shooting last month.

Davis Moturi, who is Black, was trimming a tree in his yard with a chainsaw on October 23 when he was shot by his white next door neighborJohn Sawchak, 54 years old. A medical examination found that a small caliber bullet had pierced Moturi’s neck and was embedded near his spine.

According to court documents, Moturi and his wife have made at least 19 reports to police of Sawchak’s racist threats and rants since they moved into their home in the 3500 block of Grand Avenue in September 2023, including separate incidents in the weeks leading up to the shooting in which Sawchak held a knife to Moturi and pointed the gun at him.

City leaders criticized the Minneapolis Police Department for letting Sawchak continue to terrorize the Moturi family, despite the Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office issuing a warrant for his arrest in July over threats of violence. At the time of the shooting, Sawchak had three active warrants.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended his department’s actions and said his officers had difficulty convincing Sawchak — whom O’Hara characterized as a “recluse” who could be armed and dangerous — outdoor. Police finally arrested Sawchak on October 28 by conducting a SWAT operation at his home.

Sawchak is charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, stalking and bias harassment. He remains in custody at the Hennepin County Jail on $600,000 bail, and his next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 25.

On October 31, members of the Minneapolis City Council requested both an internal review and an independent audit of the handling of the case by the MPD. Community activists also chimed in, saying MPD “neglected” to protect a black man from constant threats — and potential violence — from his white neighbor.

The NAACP and members of the Minneapolis Police Department are collaborating to help resolve neighborhood disputes in the city as part of a new initiative. The partnership, according to the city, will allow NAAC officers and staff to work with crime prevention specialists, social workers and others to resolve conflicts between neighbors. The details of this partnership are discussed at a press conference at 11.00.

The City Council will hear from residents about the case and the impending review Tuesday during a Committee of the Whole meeting at 1:30 p.m. Check back for updates.