Letter to the editor
I live two blocks from the [Davis Moturi] shooting site. Afterwards, with the gunman holed up in his house, nothing was done to secure the neighborhood or even inform citizens of the danger. Pedestrians, including kids going to the nearby school, walked by the house for three days.
After the arrest was made I passed by the house and asked the ranking officer about the danger. He said it was a neighbor-to-neighbor dispute, i.e., not threatening to the public. I told him he didn’t know that with certainty, given the mental state of the shooter, and he agreed. I asked him why the area wasn’t secured, and he said there were two unmarked cars outside at all times. I had seen these cars; both were about 30 yards from the house, too far away to respond within seconds if something happened. He went on to say people often walk all over areas demarcated by crime scene tape.
I told him it wouldn’t have cost them anything to put warning signs on either end of the block, directing pedestrians and motorists to other routes. He said that there were going to be discussions about how to do things better.
I mean, come on, the city takes extensive measures to warn people about tree work or street construction or school crossings. But not for an active shooter.
Michael Turner, MD – Minneapolis