Holly MatkinIndianapolis, IN – A repeat violent offender who was out on parole with multiple warrants out for his arrest shot a rookie Indianapolis police officer during a foot chase on Feb. 27, according to police.
“Here again was an opportunity for the system to intervene, do the violation for the parole violation on the serious violent offender and hold person in custody, but instead because they were cycled through that revolving door on a low cash bond, now here we sit,” Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Rick Snyder told WXIN.
“You have an officer that’s critically injured, a wife that is asking questions of why and how, and a community that should be demanding answers,” Snyder added. “It could have been prevented.”
The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 27, when the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) received a report of a crash in the 1600-block of Lexington Avenue, WXIN reported.
The caller noted that a man in a red car was intoxicated and “acting strange” and that he was last seen traveling southbound on State Street, and that a man in a red jacket had exposed himself, according to police.
With the help of witnesses, officers located the suspect and the vehicle in the 1600-block of Woodlawn Avenue, WXIN reported.
The IMPD said that when the two uniformed officers exited their fully-marked patrol vehicles, the suspect took off running, ignoring their commands to stop.
They chased the suspect into the alley north of Woodlawn Avenue, where the suspect opened fire on them, according to police.
One officer, a rookie still in field training, was shot in the attack, WXIN reported.
Police returned fire, hitting the suspect before he ran off, according to the IMPD.
With the help of a drone, officers later located him in the backyard of a home located in the 900-block of Dawson Street.
Investigators said they located a gun next to the suspect when they placed him under arrest, WXIN reported.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital, where he was listed in serious condition.
He has been identified as 31-year-old convicted felon Mylik Hill, WXIN reported.
The wounded officer was rushed to Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital by a fire engine, WISH reported.
He remains hospitalized and is continuing to recover, but will have permanent ongoing issues from the damage to his neck.
“The officer is still in the fight and as we discussed, he’s standing his post,” Snyder told WXIN. “This family has humbly asked for our community to remained joined together, united in faith, and to lift him and his family up in prayers.”
“When an officer is attacked like this, and thankfully has survived, it’s a stark reminder of what is truly at risk,” the police union president added.
IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said the motive for the attack is unclear, WISH reported.
“I have no idea why this guy would feel the need to run. I have no idea why he would allegedly shoot at one of the officers,” Chief Taylor said. “Those are things we hope to find out as the investigation proceeds.”
Hill had open warrants for resisting law enforcement and theft at the time of the shooting, WXIN reported.
He was also wanted for violating parole in connection with prior convictions of possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and robbery.
Hill was arrested on charges of felony theft and two counts of resisting law enforcement as recently as Jan. 31, WXIN reported.
He walked out of jail on a $500 cash bond the following day.
That incident stemmed from allegations he acted as the getaway driver for a suspect who stole a television and $1,000 worth of various items from an Indianapolis Walmart store, the Indianapolis Star reported.
After they loaded the stolen merchandise into the vehicle he was driving, Hill allegedly led police on a high-speed chase, then bailed out on foot, according to WXIN.
He was ultimately apprehended by IMPD K9 officers and Butler police.
Hill also has prior convictions for theft and burglary.
In 2011, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 15 years in prison, WXIN reported.
He was released after serving just eight-and-one-half years.
“Some mistakes I believe I will never make again, like jeopardizing my life and freedom,” Hill wrote in a letter to the court in 2018, asking to be placed in a work release program. “I would actually like to apologize to my victims.”
“I’m no longer involved in misconduct in any way shape form or fashion,” he added, according to WXIN. “I know what is truly right. I know the price of crime doesn’t pay at all.”
Hill was released from prison in Feb. of 2021 and absconded from parole less than a year later.
