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Minneapolis man charged with attempted murder for shooting neighbor will not stand trial after second competency hearing

A Minneapolis man accused of shooting his neighbor after a months-long dispute will not stand trial for now, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

The decision comes after a second doctor found John Sawchak incompetent to stand trial.

Sawchak faces second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, stalking and harassment charges. His neighbor, Davis Moturi, had made at least 19 police reports against Sawchak for a range of incidents, including vandalism and threats of physical assault.

A judge ordered the first competency evaluation in November, which the Hennepin County Attorney's Office challenged. A second evaluation retained by the state affirmed the results of the first one, court documents show. The doctor who performed the second evaluation on Sawchak had evaluated him twice before in 2016 and 2017.

"The HCAO retained an expert to alleviate any questions about Mr. Sawchak's competency. That expert, who has evaluated Mr. Sawchak twice in the past, opined that he is incompetent. We then withdrew our competency challenge, and our Adult Services Division will review the case for potential civil commitment," the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said.

The attorney's office says Sawchak will remain in custody, and prosecution will resume if he is later found to be competent.

Moturi's shooting sparked outrage from the community and calls for apologies and action from city leaders, including Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara.

Court filings show neighbors filed restraining orders against him; in one case, a mother of three wrote that she was "really afraid that something terrible might happen before something is done."

The Minneapolis City Council ordered an independent review of the incident, which is expected to be completed by June.

Victim feels let down after latest ruling

Recovery has been tough for Moturi after he underwent surgery to remove the bullet lodged between his shoulder blades.

Moturi says the recent court ruling is just another blow and once again feels let down by the system in place to protect him.

"I'm not well physically or mentally," he said. "I don't feel like the same person anymore."

Moturi's body is still marked by scars from the shooting, in which he suffered from fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.

"I never felt like MPD was willing to protect me at all," Moturi said. "To have that much inaction you get shot and still blaming you is evil... I feel like he's a lot more competent than people give him credit for. I feel like he's definitely playing the system."

While it's a frustrating decision for Moturi, he's glad Sawchak is at least behind bars.

"I'd like for him to stand trial," Moturi said.

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