INDIANAPOLIS — Patience was running thin in Judge Angela Davis’ courtroom as the trial of Mylik Hill got underway Tuesday afternoon.
Hill is facing numerous charges, including attempted murder, after police say he shot IMPD officer Thomas Mangan in the neck back in February 2022 while he was responding to a report of a car crash.
Hill has chosen to represent himself.
The trial started normally with the prosecution making its opening statement and telling the jury they intended to prove that Mylik Hill was the person who shot and wounded Officer Mangan.
But it wasn’t long before Hill began objecting to the crime scene photos Deputy Prosecutor Amy Jacobson showed to the jury during her opening statement.
Judge Davis said Hill had no legal basis for that objection.
“This is what she intends the evidence to be so your objection is overruled,” Judge Davis said.
During his own opening statement, Hill maintained that he committed no crime. The prosecution made repeated objections to his statements and Judge Davis had to continually remind him of trial court rules.
Judge Davis eventually had to cut Hill off — telling him he had run out of time.
Two IMPD officers were the first witnesses to take the stand. Both had responded to the scene the evening of the shooting.
During his cross-examination of the officers, Hill was again, on several occasions, chastised by Judge Davis.
“You did it during opening. You did it during the first question you asked this witness,” Judge Davis said angrily. “You may cross-examine him. You may not testify. Am I clear?”
The chastising and objections from both sides continued for the nearly 2.5 hours of testimony.
By the end of the day, it was clear that nearly everyone in the courtroom including Judge Davis had had enough.
“I have asked you no less than 100 times if you want to represent yourself and you continue and today have continued to say, ‘I would like to represent myself,’” Judge Davis said. “You may not tell this jury, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ ‘It’s hard,’ ‘It’s my first time.’ You may not illicit sympathy from this jury.”
Officer Mangan is scheduled to testify on Wednesday and Hill will have an opportunity to cross-examine him.
Court will be back in session on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
