Hagen Mills died by suicide on Wednesday in Kentucky. The authorities were treating the incident as an attempted murder-suicide though, as the actor shot at and wounded his ex-girlfriend, Erica Green-Price, before turning the gun on himself.
Their four-year-old daughter and Erica's mother, Tammy Green-Prince were also present when the tragedy happened, but were unharmed.
"I thought I was next," Tammy said, in an interview with The Daily Mail, recalling the moment her daughter was shot at point-blank range.
"But the baby was behind me and my only real thought was to shield her. I somehow managed to nudge her down on the couch then closed my eyes and prepared to die.
"I heard the gun go off, I heard his body hitting the floor and I finally opened my eyes and realised I was alive."
Tammy revealed that after the Baskets actor shot Erica, she dragged herself into another room to call 911.
Tammy said Hagen had been "terrorising" Erica after their break up and described him as a "very troubled soul".
According to E! News, following the incident, the 29-year-old's criminal history has come to light, revealing the actor had been arrested and charged with first-degree rape, sodomy and kidnapping on 30 March 2020. On 6 May he was released on bond.
"I'm very, very angry," Tammy commented in her interview.
"Everyone failed here. The authorities failed by offering this man bail. His family failed by getting him out but not giving him the mental health help he needed."