Gunshot residue, handwritten notes. How ABC10 shooting suspect was tracked down

Investigators combed through surveillance video, examined ballistics and handwritten notes while building a case against a suspect accused of shooting multiple times into ABC10’s studios in Sacramento, investigators said in a federal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.

Anibal “Al” Hernandez Santana, 64, faces both federal and local charges in connection to opening fire at the television station on Broadway in Upper Land Park.

“Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law,” said FBI Director Kash Patel on X.

In federal court documents, investigators laid out how they arrested Hernandez Santana.

Officers went about 1:35 p.m. Friday to 400 block of Broadway after bullets pierced the offices while employees worked inside, according to federal officials. Video surveillance showed a person wearing a gray T-shirt, dark-colored pants, gray and white shoes and a dark colored satchel looped around his torso, the complaint said.

Hernandez Santana fired his first shot into the air at 2555 Third St., about a block away from the station and in a school zone, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a news release. The area two blocks from Leataata Floyd Elementary.

He then drove to the station and pulled the trigger three times “directly into the building’s lobby,” the news release said.

An employee was inside ABC10’s lobby at the time of the shooting, the release said.

A witness at the scene provided officers with a bullet casing and a description of the suspect’s vehicle, the complaint said. Investigators flipped through video surveillance, “police observation devices” and license plate readers to find and identify a vehicle officials said belonged to Hernandez Santana.

Hours after the shooting, officers detained and arrested Hernandez Santana as he left his home at River Park Apartments on the 5400 block of Carlson Avenue. A search of his home yielded a satchel “consistent” with one worn by a suspect in the video and held a subcompact 9mm handgun, the complaint said. Investigators added the holster was empty.

“This is the same caliber as the bullet and casing that were recovered from scene of the shooting,” the complaint said.

Detectives swabbed Hernandez Santana’s hands, which gave a “presumptive positive” for gunshot residue, the complaint said. He was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited building and willfully discharging a firearm in a grossly negilgent manner.

Investigators, while searching his vehicle, found a handwritten note that referenced the Trump administration’s top law enforcement officials and Jeffrey Epstein. Trump was once friends with the embattled financier, but the president has since downplayed his relationship with Epstein, who was found hanged win a Manhattan jail in 2019.

“For hiding Epstein & ignoring red flags. Do not support Patel, Bongino & AG Pam Bondie. They’re next. — C.K. from above,” the note read, according to the complaint.

This note was not the only handwritten memento, prosecutors said — Hernandez Santana appeared to have written his schedule for Friday, the day ABC10’s studios were shot.

“Do the Next Scary Thing,” said the note written on a whiteboard planner affixed to his refrigerator.

Hernandez Santana appears in court

On Monday afternoon, Hernandez Santana in Sacramento federal court wearing an orange jail uniform, along with shackles around his waist and his ankles.

Mark Reichel, Hernandez Santana’s attorney, asked the judge to schedule a detention hearing Thursday to decide whether the accused man should remain in custody.

He had posted his $200,000 bail after being arrested Friday night by Sacramento police, and was arrested again Saturday by FBI officials, this time accused of federal crimes including possessing a firearm in a school zone, discharging it and interfering with a federally licensed radio communication station.

Hernandez Santana only spoke briefly during Monday’s hearing.

“Yes, your honor. Understood,” he said about the potential punishment he faces if convicted.

“It is remarkably uncommon for any individual to face simultaneous state and federal charges for the same alleged conduct,” Reichel said in a written statement after the hearing. “At this time, we have not had an opportunity to review the evidence in the case, so our ability to provide those answers is non-existent. Mr. Hernandez Santana is entitled to due process — he is innocent unless and until he is found otherwise.”

Hernandez Santana did not appear in Superior Court on Monday, because he remained in custody at the jail under a federal hold. A defendant in federal custody can’t be transported to any other without a judge’s order.

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said his prosecutors will ask a superior court judge to hold Hernandez Santana without bail when he is formally arraigned on state charges, which include assault with a semi-automatic firearm and firing into an inhabited dwelling.

“We believe that the evidence shows a political motivation behind the shooting,” Ho told The Sacramento Bee on Monday. “We believe he’s a threat to the media. We believe that he’s a threat to other people in terms of his actions and violence. Particularly political violence will not be tolerated in Sacramento County.”

Patrols stepped up at capital synagogues

In a separate announcement Monday, Sacramento-area law enforcement agencies said they would increase patrols near synagogues and other houses of worship during the Rosh Hashanah holiday, which began at sundown Monday evening.

“We’re aware of the Rosh Hashanah holiday and officers will be available as needed,” the Sacramento Police Department said in a statement. “We encourage the community to contact our department if they see anything suspicious.”

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said they would step up patrols as well.

“The Sheriff’s Office is working closely with our local synagogues, along with our state and federal partners, to ensure enhanced safety and security during Rosh Hashanah,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi said. “You will see increased patrols in these areas.”

The Bee’s Daniel Hunt contributed to this story.

This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM.