INDIANAPOLIS — The man accused of shooting a first-year Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer now faces two counts of attempted murder in addition to several other charges.
The shooting happened on Feb. 27 in Fountain Square. Officer Thomas “Tommy” Mangan suffered serious injuries when he was shot in the throat, requiring multiple surgeries.
The suspect, 31-year-old Mylik Hill, now faces two counts of attempted murder, punishable by 20 to 40 years in prison each, if convicted, six counts of resisting law enforcement and one count each of criminal mischief and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
According to IMPD, Mangan suffered significant injuries to his Adam’s apple and voice box during the shooting. He had a stent placed in his voice box in order to prevent collapse and secure the ability for him to breathe. He faces a long road to recovery.
“No one goes into this job thinking that they’re going to be immune from danger, however, we don’t often think we’re going to be shot in a scenario such as this,” said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears laid out the charges filed against the suspect, while Chief Taylor and Kendale Adams, Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations for IMPD, spoke about the officer, his recovery and how he is leaning on his faith to help get him through it.
“He was responding to this scene trying to help. He was responding to this scene trying to make this community a better place, a safer place, and this case took a tragic turn of events,” said Mears.
Court documents reveal more details
New court documents filed on Tuesday provide more insight into the series of events that occurred the night of the shooting.
Mangan, who had been in his first rotation of field training for about three weeks, was among six officers responding to a report of an accident in the 1600 block of Lexington Avenue just after 10 p.m. on Feb. 27. According to a probable cause affidavit, a caller said a man driving an older model red, four-door vehicle, hit her fence in her front yard and her neighbor’s truck and then got out of his vehicle, pulled down his pants and urinated in the street.
According to the affidavit, officers were then told the car left the scene and was last seen traveling southbound on S. State Street.
Officers were given a description and located the red Buick, with a driver in it that matched the description of the person exposing himself in the 1600 block of Woodlawn Avenue. When officers pulled up to the vehicle with lights on, an affidavit said Hill took off from officers.
According to court documents, six responding officers chased Hill, at one point going single file. Once they reached an open parking area, the officers started gaining on Hill; Mangan reached out toward him with both hands in “what appeared to be a takedown.”
Hill then pulled out a gun, according to court documents, and fired two shots.
“You’re called on what you’re thinking is just going to be an accident – a disturbance of some sort and next thing you know – we have an officer fighting for his life,” said Taylor.
Mangan was shot in the throat and his radio on his was also hit with gunfire. The radio later exploded, engulfing Mangan’s left side in flames. He was able to release the radio from his gun belt and drop it in the street, an affidavit said.
An IFD engine that had arrived at the scene took Mangan to Eskenazi Hospital, where he remained in serious but stable condition as of Tuesday morning.
“I will tell you that Officer Mangan is in great spirits. He’s truly a man of faith as well as his wife,” said Taylor.
According to court documents, after shooting Mangan, Hill fired several more shots. Officer Daniel Majors, a seven-year veteran, returned fire from distances ranging between ten and 35 feet. Hill ran into an alley toward South State Street and it was later found that he was shot in the chest and thigh.
“The bravery that was shown here in incredible circumstances is nothing short of amazing,” said Taylor.
Police said Hill left the scene and was later found around 11 p.m. in a backyard through the use of a drone and assistance from several agencies. Investigators found a handgun nearby; the gun had been reported stolen in October, according to court documents. Hill also had a previous conviction for armed robbery, police said.
The shooting remains under review from the civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board and IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team.
Suspect’s criminal history
Hill was released in the beginning of February on a $500 cash bond in an unrelated case, where he was accused of acting as a getaway driver for a theft at an Indianapolis Walmart.
Documents allege another man with him loaded stolen items, including a flat screen TV, into the back of a vehicle that Hill was driving, before Hill fled from police and led officers on a high-speed chase.
Court records show that Hill was arrested on January 31 and charged with theft, a level 6 felony, and two counts of resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony and class A misdemeanor. Records show he bonded out and was released hours later on Feb. 1 at 1:32 a.m.
At the time of his arrest in January, Hill was on parole, according to the Indiana Department of Correction. The agency confirmed that the arrest was a violation of Hill’s parole, and as a result, he was marked delinquent as of Jan. 19.
A spokesperson for the IDOC said that date of delinquency reverts to the last in-person visit an individual had with parole, which in Hill’s case, was Jan. 19.
Court records show that Hill served a more than eight year sentence in the Putnamville Correctional Facility for a conviction related to a 2011 armed robbery in Indianapolis. He was released on Feb. 15, 2021 and assigned to the Indianapolis Parole District.
Since his release in 2021, Hill has had three parole violations for drug tests, IDOC confirmed. A department spokesperson said he was enrolled in an ongoing treatment program.
Hill’s release on Feb. 1 and the low bond amount spurred questions from Indianapolis FOP President Rick Snyder, who said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears has failed to answer his inquiries about Hill’s release and similar cases.
“Why didn’t you move to revoke the bond when you filed charges?” Snyder asked as Mears, who’d already left Tuesday’s news conference, walked away. “Do you feel like you could’ve done more?”
Prosecutor Mears didn’t respond directly to Snyder’s questions after the press conference, but answered a question from a FOX59 reporter earlier during the press conference when asked whether any attempts to revoke bond were made after Hill’s release in early February.
In his response, Mears said, “by the time we filed the case that particular individual was released and the only thing we could do at that particular time was request a warrant and there was a parole warrant at the time this particular incident occurred.”
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office also noted that it falls on law enforcement to pick up individuals with active warrants.
At the conclusion of the press conference, Snyder questioned gaps in the system and why Hill was out in the first place.
“This officer is fighting for his recovery and there’s questions about whether or not this could’ve been prevented,” he said. “All we want is answers.”
A spokesperson for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office told FOX59 that bail and bond decisions is under the jurisdiction of the courts and that it is their responsibility to review a matter and determine bond, not a function of the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
FOX59 asked the Marion County Court Administrator when a judge reviews a case and determines bond or bail for a defendant, whether they review the defendant’s criminal history, look for outstanding warrants and/or violations of parole or probation and if not, whose responsibility it is to determine if a person is on parole or probation at the time.
The following was provided to FOX59:
Individuals arrested for a Class A Misdemeanor or Level 6 Felony in Marion County undergo an Indiana Risk Assessment (IRAS). Criminal history data is also compiled from the Indiana Prosecutor’s Portal. Additionally, when an officer makes an arrest, it is noted whether it is an outright arrest or an arrest for outstanding warrants. All outstanding warrant information, if available, is entered in to the Offender Management System (OMS) by the Marion County Sheriff. The Court compiles information from OMS, Indiana Prosecutor’s Portal and the IRAS for bond determination.
Emily VanOsdol, Marion County Court Administrator
At the time of his arrest on Jan. 31, the Marion County Court Administrator said there was no information to indicate that Hill was on parole.
VanOsdol wrote in an email, “there was no indication of any outstanding warrant(s) for parole supervision at the date of his arrest on January 31, 2022.”
The court said bond was set upon the highest outright arrest for the highest charge of a Level 6 Felony, which was a $500 cash bond. The bond was posted prior to charges being filed and a motion to revoke bond was filed on March 8.
On Tuesday, the Prosecutor’s Office requested a judge set Hill’s bond at $500,000. A Marion County Judge set bond at $250,000, court records show.
Hill, a repeat violent offender, was also convicted in a burglary and theft case in 2009, court records indicate.
Update on injured IMPD officer
IMPD said Officer Mangan is leaning on his faith to help guide him down his path to recovery.
As he works to recover, Mangan is currently communicating through writing, said IMPD.
During a recent visit to see the injured officer, Deputy Chief Kendale Adams said Mangan asked if they could pray together.
Adams thought about Bible verses and wondered what he would say, but Mangan had a different idea.
“But to my surprise, Tommy started writing out his own prayer,” Adams said.
Adams shared the prayer during a news conference Tuesday:
Could we pray together?
Dear God, we are so grateful, grateful for your unconditional love for us. Father God, you have blessed me beyond my imagination. I have come into contact with or have heard about is seeking to serve me.
I was supposed to serve this community, but God has greater plans. I am uncertain what they are, but I am thankful for the people he is using. Thank you, Jesus!
Amen.
Officer Thomas Mangan
Mangan remains in serious but stable condition at Eskenazi Hospital. Residents can send get-well cards and well-wishes to him at the following address:
IMPD Southeast District
Attn: Officer Thomas Mangan
1150 Shelby Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46203