Man charged with 48 felonies following active shooter standoff in St. George last week

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — The man who allegedly fired 150 rounds at police during an active shooter standoff last week has been charged with dozens of felonies, including attempted murder.

Benjamin Lewis Hansen, 42, has been charged with 48 felonies, including 10 counts of attempted murder, a first-degree felony; eight counts of assault on a peace officer using a dangerous weapon, a second-degree felony; one count of attempted aggravated arson, a second-degree felony; and 22 counts of felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.

Hansen is also facing felony charges for property damage and possession of a dangerous weapon while being a restricted person, as well as a few misdemeanors, including reckless endangerment. Some charges have a domestic violence enhancement.

New information from documents

According to documents, on July 8, 2025, near 3000 E Seegmiller Drive, an officer with the St. George Police Department “set up a position” across the street from Hansen’s house. Police say that they were dispatched for a family fight call. While the officer was there, Hansen allegedly fired “several intermittent volleys of gunfire” from an elevated position in his home.

The officer was pinned behind a power pole to avoid being struck. Bullets hit the pole and a wall “immediately adjacent” to the officer’s position. Reinforcements were called to the area, and five officers in an armored vehicle were able to protect and extract the officer from the position.

While working to rescue the officer, the armored vehicle was struck by bullets as well. After safely extracting the officer, they used the vehicle to remove the garage door. At this point, according to documents, Hansen came down from the top floor where he was firing from and shot at officers in the garage.

The impact of the bullets left a crack on the windshield. Officers were able to take Hansen into custody using a taser after he fled into the backyard.

After he was detained, Hansen allegedly admitted that he was trying to “start a fire and/or explosion in the house with fireworks, shooting propane tanks, and attempting to cut a gas line.” He also told police that he had been using several firearms and even shooting a bow during the incident.

Inside the house, investigators located spent fireworks, a propane tank that had been shot, and a has line with “hack marks.” They recovered five firearms and a bow from the residence.

Hansen had faced charges for domestic violence previously. Documents stated that in 2014, Hansen’s wife reported that he “hadn’t slept in two months” and was having some delusions. She stated that he had physically assaulted her and briefly choked her during the incident. He pleaded guilty in abeyance.

Previous information from the police

A July 9, 2025, press release from the St. George Police Department stated that officers were responding to an emergency call that reported “a family dispute accompanied by gunshots.” When officers arrived, they were fired at by a suspect — now identified as Hansen.

In response to the gunfire, two St. George Police officers fired their weapons. Hansen was taken into custody and is being held at the Purgatory Correctional Facility. According to current documents, he is being held without bail.

The press release states that a house fire broke out during the incident, and the cause of the fire is being investigated by the St. George Fire Department and the Washington County Attorney’s Office Critical Incident Task Force (CITF).

No injuries were reported, according to the St. George Police Department. Because officers fired their weapons, an officer-involved critical incident investigation was opened and is being handled by the CITF.

The St. George Police Department thanked the following agencies for assisting during the situation: Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Hurricane City Police Department, The Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau, Washington County Drug Task Force, Adult Probation and Parole, Santa Clara – Ivins Police Department, Washington City Police Department, St George Fire Department, Gold Cross Ambulance, and the Washington County Attorney’s Office.