Minneapolis police failure to protect Moturi, Lussier reflects department shortcomings according to new audit

Minneapolis police failure to protect Moturi, Lussier reflects department shortcomings according to new audit

The independent audit was requested by City Council last year following high-profile cases in which Minneapolis Police failed to protect residents of color from well-documented threats.

MINNEAPOLIS—On April 22, 2026, the Minneapolis City Auditor published a new after-action review of the City’s actions in the cases of Davis Moturi and Allison Lussier.  

Davis Moturi is a Black resident of Minneapolis who was facing specific threats of racist violence from his next-door neighbor. Mr. Moturi requested help and protection from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), with his household making 38 calls to 911 between October 2023 and October 2024. Nine days after Mr. Moturi called 911 to report that his neighbor leaned out of his window and aimed a firearm at him, Mr. Moturi was shot in the neck by his neighbor. 

Allison Lussier was a 47-year-old Indigenous woman who requested MPD protection from her domestic abuser. Ms. Lussier made at least nine 911 calls accusing her partner of domestic abuse. She was found dead in her North Loop apartment in February 2024, one week after her final 911 call.  

In response to demands for accountability by victims and community members, the City Council requested that the City Auditor conduct an independent after-action review of the City’s actions in both cases.  

The after-action review was delayed due to resistance and opposition from MPD. Last year, the City was forced to add $115,000 to the contract for independent investigation due to police noncompliance with the audit timeline.  

The review included 49,000 pages of documents, 75 hours of body-worn camera footage, and more than 30 interviews. 

The after-action review highlights shortcomings in MPD operations, including:  

• MPD officers did not consistently review available information related to the suspect and case history on the way to a call.  
• The Police Chief and Hennepin County Attorney did not communicate for months, despite attempts by the HCAO to reestablish a working relationship. 
• Messaging from MPD leadership was premature, underinformed, or inaccurate. 
• Incidents were not consistently assigned to an investigator, escalated to leadership, or both. Incidents were not always submitted for charging in a timely manner.  
• Officers did not create documentation for every detail conducted. 
• Officers did not consistently report bias or weapons in police reports.  
• Officers had varying level of knowledge about applicable laws, policies, and procedures. 
• MPD internal information management requires manual noting and flagging of repeat calls rather than an automatic system for tracking repeat incidents. 
• MPD has made several positive improvements in domestic abuse response but needs to make more. MPD did not follow the recommendations of the Hennepin County Domestic Assault Service Center.  
• “Blue Cards” left with victims included outdated contact information and resources. 

At the joint meeting of the City Council and Audit Committee today where the findings were presented, Council President Elliott Payne referred the report to the City Council for further discussion. You can watch the City Auditor’s presentation of his findings and the subsequent discussion here.  

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