New Minneapolis Domestic Violence Audit Findings

Minneapolis released an audit on April 22 that found gaps in how police handled domestic violence warning signs, follow-up, and victim support in two 2024 cases. (mprnews.org) City Auditor Robert Timmerman presented the review to the Audit Committee and City Council after auditors examined 49,000 pages of records, 75 hours of body-camera video, and more than 30 interviews. The report centered on the unsolved 2024 death of Allison Lussier and the 2024 shooting of Davis Moturi after repeated prior complaints. (mprnews.org, kstp.com) The after-action report listed 37 findings and recommendations. Auditors said officers’ reports were inconsistent, with missing victim forms, incomplete witness statements, uneven injury documentation, and spotty use of flags for repeat conduct, weapons, and bias. (kstp.com, mprnews.org) Auditors also said staffing shortages slowed responses and limited arrests, and that officers applied rules unevenly on harassment restraining orders, warrants, and the 72-hour window for warrantless domestic-abuse arrests. In one Lussier call, the review said officers concluded that window had expired by about 30 minutes. (kstp.com, kare11.com) The findings landed after months of pressure over whether Minneapolis police missed repeated warning signs before serious violence. Lussier, an Indigenous woman, had reported domestic violence before she was found dead in 2024, and her case remains unsolved. (mprnews.org, fox9.com) The audit also widened beyond one case. Moturi, a Black man, was shot and wounded by neighbor John Sawchak in 2024 after reporting racial harassment for more than a year, and auditors said both cases exposed broader breakdowns in communication and case handling. (kstp.com, mprnews.org) Several recommendations focused on what happens after the first 911 call. Auditors urged faster assignment of domestic violence cases to investigators when a suspect has fled, more training on orders for protection, and treating “dead on arrival” cases as crime scenes when the person had a history of reporting domestic violence. (kare11.com) The city has already built some of the infrastructure the audit points to. Minneapolis has a Special Crimes Investigations Division domestic-assault unit, and a separate city-backed working group has been piloting a standardized domestic-violence risk assessment tool after an earlier institutional review found gaps in police response. (minneapolismn.gov, lims.minneapolismn.gov, lims.minneapolismn.gov) Police Chief Brian O’Hara said on April 15 that he had met with Lussier’s family and committed to improvements in domestic-violence response while the investigation continues. Family members said this week that the audit should lead to structural reform and faster accountability inside the department. (content.govdelivery.com, kare11.com) The immediate next step is whether Minneapolis turns the 37 recommendations into policy, staffing, and training changes. The audit’s message was narrower and more concrete: repeated calls only help if officers, investigators, and victim-support systems connect the dots before the next one. (kstp.com, mprnews.org)