Prosecutor Says Officer Concedes Role in Shooting

An Anaheim police officer accused of killing his estranged wife’s lover has told authorities that he was involved in the shooting, a Riverside County prosecutor said Tuesday.

Thomas A. Minn, a 14-year veteran of the Anaheim Police Department, told authorities on Saturday that he was involved in the shooting death of Paul R. Hangen, a friend of Minn who had been dating his estranged wife.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Allison Nelson, however, refused to offer any more details about Minn’s statement or the case against the motorcycle officer.

“We’re still conducting investigations,” Nelson said.

“The Sheriff’s Department still has witnesses to interview, and we still have to wait for evidence to be reviewed by the crime lab.”

Hangen’s body was found Friday night in his pickup truck in Norco.

So far, authorities have confiscated guns, shell casings, ammunition, shoes and clothing from Minn’s home. Shoe prints from the crime scene also have been recovered, Nelson said.

“No fingerprints were taken because (Minn and Hangen) were acquaintances,” she said. “Fingerprints wouldn’t count because he had been in the guy’s car before.”

Minn, 36, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at the Riverside County courthouse. But his attorneys asked for more time to prepare their case, and the arraignment date was postponed until Dec. 28.

Elian Schonberger, 36, Minn’s wife, has said she and Hangen, 28, were dating and that she had planned to move out of the Corona home she shared with her husband and file for a divorce.

Minn’s attorney, James A. Stotler of Santa Ana, refused to comment about the case.

Minn, who was placed on administrative leave, is held in lieu of $250,000 bail at the Robert Pressley Detention Center in Riverside.