Johnson: Minneapolis police failed the resident shot by his neighbor. It should take corrective action.

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It was a nightmare clearly forecast. It’s inexcusable that the Minneapolis Police Department did not act much sooner against a suspect now charged with shooting and injuring his neighbor last week.

Davis Moturi, 34, was shot Oct. 23 while doing yardwork outside his home in south Minneapolis. On video that went viral, there’s the distinctive cracking sound of gunfire, then Moturi is seen falling to the ground. The attack occurred after Moturi and his wife had contacted the MPD at least 19 times during the past year about harassing and threatening behavior from their next-door neighbor.

Early this week, that neighbor, John Herbert Sawchak, 54, who police say has a history of mental health problems, was finally arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault and harassment.

It shouldn’t have taken MPD so long to act. Why did it?

MPD Chief Brian O’Hara should not have been so defensive initially about criticisms. Why was he?

It’s not like the shooting suspect was unfamiliar to the department. At first, O’Hara said his officers couldn’t beat the door down and “go in guns blazing” to arrest Sawchak. He said he feared officers would be accused of excessive force and failure to de-escalate the situation.

That response is far from adequate. It fails to explain away why it took months to do something about Moturi’s multiple requests for help. Repeatedly, he told the MPD about terrorist threats from Sawchak, including pointing and brandishing weapons. Since the Moturis purchased their home in September 2023, the couple contacted police multiple times to report Sawchak for a menu of dangerous behaviors. Their complaints included charges of vandalism, property destruction, harassment and threats of physical harm while spewing racist slurs, according to court records.

Moturi is Black; Sawchak is white.

Legitimate pushback over the initial MPD response, including criticism from some council members, prompted O’Hara to issue an apology. “We failed this victim 100%,” O’Hara told reporters. “And to that victim, I say I am sorry that this happened to you.” Both O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey said Monday that a “post-incident review” would be conducted.

Late last week, five City Council members wrote to Frey and O’Hara expressing their concerns about “[MPD’s] failure to protect a Minneapolis resident from a clear, persistent and amply reported threat posed by his neighbor.” Some council members and community activists raised whether race played a part in the department’s initial response.

Council Member Jeremiah Ellison said the MPD seems to be able to de-escalate situations with white suspects, but when it’s Black suspects, “it’s a killing.”

“Here we have someone who did shoot someone, and he’s sitting in his home, and I don’t find it acceptable,” he said. “If the department feels like that’s not a fair characterization, you’ve got to go out and you’ve got to prove that to the community. You’ve got to prove that to us.”

The council members contended that the MPD did not plan to execute warrants against Sawchak for “reasons of officer safety.” An MPD official that they had been looking to arrest him, but it was difficult to do so because he rarely came out of his house.

That’s insufficient. Police are trained and have the authority to go after suspects deemed dangerous. The assignment is to protect and serve.

Some council members have called for an independent review of the MPD’s response. That seems sensible. Fortunately, Moturi survived the attack. But the city’s Police Department must make changes to prevent similar failures in the future.

Moturi doesn’t need a belated apology. He needed help that didn’t come.