Minneapolis Auditor Exposes Systemic Failures in Two Fatal Cases
A report by the Minneapolis city auditor found that police officers' inconsistent understanding of legal tools, gaps in reporting practices and staffing shortages reduced the opportunity to intervene in two high-profile cases from 2024: the shooting of Davis Moturi and the death of Allison Lussier.
The review, which was compiled after interviews with officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, examined how the city handled each case. The report found 15 issues with Moturi's case and 22 with Lussier's.
Moturi was shot outside his home in 2024 after a dispute with his neighbor. Records show Moturi filed nearly 20 complaints with Minneapolis police against the accused shooter and called police 38 times in the year leading up to his shooting. Moturi said those calls went unanswered.
Lussier, a 47-year-old Indigenous woman, was found dead inside her North Loop apartment in 2024 after multiple domestic violence reports were filed. The auditor found that Lussier and the people close to her had called police 12 times.
In both cases, reporting practices varied widely. The report noted incomplete witness statements, missing victim forms and inconsistent use of flags for bias, weapons or repeat conduct.
In Lussier's case, the incomplete early documentation weakened investigations later on, the report determined.
The audit found only a small number of Lussier's domestic violence calls led to an investigation, and none led to formal criminal charges. Investigators missed statutory elements of stalking, which could have provided an opportunity to arrest the suspect. To this day, no criminal charges have been filed in her death.
In Moturi's, officers didn't review information disseminated to them about the alleged shooter's ongoing harassment before responding to the home, and several incidents were not escalated to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Only two of the 38 emergency calls were assigned to an investigator, the report said.
There were also failures in communication, including a breakdown between O'Hara and Moriarty.
"These failures are not isolated, they are systemic," said Jenna Williams, Lussier's aunt.
Williams believes police continue to do too little, too late when it comes to domestic violence.
Policies can change, that's not going to change the officers overnight, Williams said.
O'Hara and Moriarty have admitted that they hadn't communicated in many months, but have since started to host regular meetings.
The report also criticized the public response to Lussier's death, which emphasized her substance abuse history. Comments by Minneapolis police regarding violence against Indigenous women should be held to a higher standard, the review concluded.
O'Hara has defended the department's investigation, but recently apologized for previously characterizing the amount of drugs in Lussier's system at the time of her death as "massive."
That statement caused real pain to the family, to those who loved her and to the broader community. I take responsibility for that impact, O'Hara said.
He says most of the recommendations in the report reflect initiatives that his department is already working on, touting changes to domestic violence policies and improved response times across the board.
There's a whole lot of things I've been doing to try and address problems when I have the power to do so, O'Hara said.
The report recommended the creation of an American Indian Community Liaison position, who will be responsible for citywide advocacy and response.
The scrutiny against the police department and O'Hara comes as the chief seeks a second term.
The city said the report was delayed because some Minneapolis police officers were resistant to cooperating with the investigation. The city had to pay an additional $115,000 to the investigator's contract because of the delayed timeline.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
