ABC10 Sacramento shooting suspect will return to federal court after indictment
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- A federal grand jury indicted Anibal Hernandez Santana in the ABC10 shooting.
- The indictment alleges shots were fired in a Sacramento school zone.
- The accused retired lobbyist also faces state charges in connection with the shooting.
A man accused of firing a gun at the ABC10 TV station in Sacramento will return to federal court on Monday after a grand jury indicted him on charges stemming from the shooting.
The federal grand jury indicted Anibal “Al” Hernandez Santana, 64, of Sacramento on charges of firing a 9mm handgun within a school zone, possessing a firearm within a school zone and willfully or maliciously interfering with or causing interference to any radio communications of any station, according to the indictment filed Thursday in Sacramento federal court.
If convicted of the federal charges, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
“We are reviewing the allegations in the grand jury indictment and still waiting for the delivery of evidence,” said Mark Reichel, Hernandez Santana’s attorney, said in a written statement. “Mr. Hernandez Santana is innocent unless and until he is found guilty at trial.”
In court last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Wong said Hernandez Santana stood in a nearby school zone and fired a gunshot into the air shortly before driving around the block to fire three gunshots into the lobby of the ABC10 building. The TV station is near Leataata Floyd Elementary School and Health Professions High School.
The charges in the indictment are the same charges listed in a federal criminal complaint filed Sept. 22 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The grand jury indictment supersedes the criminal complaint and allows the criminal case to skip the preliminary hearing phase and move toward a trial.
Hernandez Santana, a retired lobbyist who remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail, is scheduled to return to federal court Monday afternoon when he’s expected to be arraigned on the indictment. His Oct. 26 preliminary hearing will then likely be vacated.
The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at the ABC10 TV studios in the 400 block of Broadway in Sacramento’s Upper Land Park neighborhood. It came a day after about 15 protesters held a demonstration outside the TV station to denounce a network decision to take “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air following remarks Kimmel made related to Kirk’s murder.
The ABC network, which is owned by Disney, was criticized for its decision to halt production of Kimmel’s late night show. The show returned to the airwaves several days later.
Hernandez Santana also faces state charges in connection with the TV station shooting.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has charged Hernandez Santana with firing a gun into an inhabited building and assault with a semi-automatic firearm. If convicted of these state charges, Hernandez Santana could face a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison.
His arraignment in Sacramento Superior Court has been postponed twice, since the defendant remains under a federal hold. Judge Benjamin Cassady told attorneys it will be up to them to do what needs to be done to get Hernandez Santana in court for his arraignment on Oct. 16.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 11:41 AM.
