New details are emerging about the retiree accused of firing shots into Sacramento, California TV station KXTV/ABC10.
Anibal Hernandez Santana appeared in federal court for a bail hearing on Thursday, Sept. 25, but a judge denied his request for release, ABC10 reported.
The judge handed down the decision after prosecutors argued Hernandez Santana poses a “clear and present danger to the public.”
The defense countered that he is a father and retired Army veteran, and should be placed under house arrest with an ankle monitor, instead of remaining behind bars.
Related: Suspect in Custody After Drive-By Shooting at ABC Sacramento Amid Kimmel Protests
Arrest Details
Hernandez Santana was initially arrested on Friday, Sept. 19, at a home in Sacramento’s River Park neighborhood, as previously reported.
Prosecutors said hours before police found down, he allegedly fired shots into the lobby at ABC10.
The shooting occurred one day after protesters gathered in front of the station, to demand comedian Jimmy Kimmel return to TV after he was briefly suspended for his comments on the shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Hernandez Santana was initially booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on state charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building, and negligent discharge of a firearm.
FBI Steps In
His bail was set at $200,000, which he posted the next day, according to local media reports. The FBI immediately re-arrested him on federal charges.
“Hernandez Santana fired the first shot into the air in the direction of the station,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said in a news release.
Feds alleged he then drove to the front of the station and fired three shots directly into the lobby.
A station employee was inside the lobby at the time, although no one was injured. The location from where Hernandez Santana allegedly fired the first shot was within a school zone, federal prosecutors said.
Federal Charges
He was charged with three federal counts — possessing a firearm within a school zone; discharging a firearm within a school zone; and interfering with a radio communication station, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
Law enforcement served a search warrant on his house and cars, and Sacramento police took him into custody.
Alleged Evidence
According to federal prosecutors, a weekly planner was attached to the refrigerator in his home. Under “Friday,” there was a handwritten note that allegedly stated, “Do the Next Scary Thing.”
In court Thursday, Hernandez Santana’s attorney said the note was not about violence, but his client’s Alcoholics Anonymous group.
Law enforcement also said there was a handwritten note about the Trump administration in his car that read: “For hiding Epstein & ignoring red flags. Do not support Patel, Bongino, & AG Pam Bondi. They’re next. – C.K. from above.”
Hernandez Santana said in an interview with CBS Sacramento: “I am not a violent man,” though he declined to discuss his motivations.
ABC10 obtained court documents saying he visited an elementary school three days before the shooting, and was dressed in “military-looking pants, an army cap, and dark sunglasses.”
Hernandez Santana reportedly asked school employees for permission to read to children, but was declined and told he’d have to follow protocols and apply to volunteer. Employees alerted authorities and described him as “weird.”
The school reportedly raised concerns about him being released on bail, saying in court documents: “If he gets out of custody, we are scared for our school’s safety.”
Social Media Posts
Local news outlets reported on his social media posts critical of President Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk.
Hernandez Santana’s account on X platform remained public as of Thursday evening. In a Sept. 11 post, he mocked Charlie Kirk for comments the right-wing influencer made in 2023 after a school shooting, when he said some gun deaths are “worth” it to maintain the Second Amendment and other “God-given rights.”
The day after Kirk was killed, Hernandez Santana wrote on X, “May the prudence of his cost-benefit analysis for 2A rights vs. school shootings live on forever.”
A Sept. 18 post said he hoped Trump “had a good heart attack,” leading to his “physical demise.”
That same day a post was written demanding U.S. Justice Department and FBI leaders release files related to deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
“Pam Bondie, Kash Patel, Bongino, Time to put on your “big boy* pants” and your big girl panties. SHOW US the Espstein files and give us the names, quoting Patel in 2023 congressional hearing,” the post read.
The description on his X account says he is a health lawyer, policy advisor and veteran. Local news reporters have said he recently retired after working as a lobbyist in the California state legislature.
If convicted on the federal charges, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the firearm charge, and up to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine for the interference charge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Hernandez Santana was also scheduled to appear in state court Thursday, but his hearing was postponed.
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