ST. GEORGE, Utah — Madi McMillan was closer than anybody to a barricade and an exchange of gunfire at a home in a Little Valley neighborhood of St. George on Tuesday. The dog groomer lives in a guest house on the property. Like the main house, it’s a total loss.
Benjamin Lewis Hansen remains in the Purgatory Correctional Facility without bail on four counts of attempted murder, among other charges, after the incident that followed a domestic dispute that forced neighborhood evacuations. Hansen is accused of firing approximately 150 rounds at police officers during the incident.
"All I can hear is muffled screaming and crying as soon as [a victim] walks through the door," said McMillan. "[Hansen] says something to her, but I couldn't quite catch what was said, and then I heard a gunshot and everything goes silent."
St. George suspect who fired at officers arrested at same home in 2024:
McMillan went down the block with her dog and called police. There were three dogs on the property. Two made it out, but McMillan said a chihuahua mix named Bronson did not.
Police say that after they aided Hansen's wife, he began shooting at them. Four officers reported they would have been shot if they had not been protected by cover. The incident left both the main house and the guest house a total loss after they caught fire.
"I just have the clothes on my back, my dog, my purse, and my keys. That's all I'm left with," McMillan said.
Hansen pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor domestic abuse and intoxication charges stemming from a March 2024 incident that also had the neighborhood sheltering in place.
The 23-year-old McMillan moved into the guest house last October and wasn't aware of that incident. She said she saw no signs of problems between Hansen and his wife.
"I was completely taken aback by this," she said. "I knew him as a person, chill, nice, friendly, you know, easy to talk to. And I, I'm shocked that this, that he could turn into this.
"I think his goal was to try to get himself killed by the police because he had told me he wanted to kill himself when he first came to my place."
McMillan has lost everything except her grooming equipment at work. As a dog groomer who loves fashion, she particularly misses her clothing collection.
"I love fashion. I like clothes that are very rare to find, vintage or different, unique, and knowing I probably had about 450 pieces of clothing that was my thing," she shared.
Neighbors and those in the community have already begun providing monetary help and donated clothes to McMillan, especially her preferred Billie Eilish-style baggy pants and shirts.
"I'm probably not going to be able to ever replace them, but all I can do is just move forward and realize I'm alive," she said, "and I'm grateful for that."
