The Minneapolis City Auditor released after action reports on two high profile cases Wednesday.
Those cases are the shooting of Davis Moturi, who was shot by his neighbor following a year-long pattern of harassment and intimidation that Moturi reported to police several times. And the unsolved death of Allison Lussier who had reported a pattern of domestic abuse by her partner.
The report found a lack of staff contributed to delayed response times and hindered officers’ ability to intervene and make arrests.
The report also says there was a breakdown between the Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Attorney's office.
"I do believe that people, many people in the police department, were doing their best in both of these cases," Chief Brian O'Hara told the Minneapolis City Council Wednesday. "And I do believe people had felt that way, but that does not mean that there aren't issues to correct."
Public Safety Commissioner Todd Barnett and Police Chief Brian O’Hara say they are are taking major steps toward reform following a critical audit investigating the department’s failure in the deaths of Lussier and Moturi.
O’Hara stressed that the MPD has already begun implementing reforms.
"What is important for everyone to understand is that the publication of this report does not mark the beginning of change," O'Hara explained. "Rather, as the report reflects, there's work that's already underway, some of which that has been completed."
Moving forward, Commissioner Barnett plans to personally mediate a revamped relationship between Police and the County Attorney’s office to close the gaps that may have allowed these cases to fall through the cracks.
City auditor Robert Timmerman says in both cases messaging from police leadership was inaccurate and lacked sufficient vetting.
"Although we did not find any ill will to these misstatements, they unfortunately played into long-standing distrust among communities disproportionately affected by violence," Timmerman noted.
Ward 9 Council member Jason Chavez asked O'Hara to apologize to the family of Lussier, a 47-year-old Indigenous woman who was found dead in her North Loop apartment in February 2024.
"Can you publicly apologize to Alison's family today," Chavez asked.
"Yes," O'Hara responded, then turning to them, apologizing and adding they are "committed to moving forward."
Chavez also pointed to disproportionate levels of violence in the city's Indigenous community.
"And I want to be clear that the findings of this after-action review represents a devastating pattern of what happens to missing and murdered Indigenous relatives," says Chavez. "In particular, Indigenous women and girls go missing and face disproportionately high levels of violence. Sadly, too often their cases are met with indifference, delayed response, and outright dismissal by the very same systems meant to protect them."
This all comes as questions linger about whether or not the council will approve O'Hara for another term, which is up in August. Mayor Jacob Frey said the chief has his full support, but the rejection of Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette has raised questions about if the council would support another term from O'Hara.
"Many people in the police department were doing their best in both of these cases," said Chief O'Hara
"Many people in the police department were doing their best in both of these cases," said Chief O'Hara
