California man released from custody after arrest in ABC News station shooting
Suspect Anibal Hernandez Santana released on bail; investigation continues with FBI assistance and related media ownership context.
A 64-year-old Sacramento man was released from custody Saturday after posting $200,000 bail following his arrest in connection with a shooting outside ABC10’s Sacramento newsroom on Friday afternoon. Anibal Hernandez Santana was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building and negligent discharge of a firearm, according to Sacramento police and jail records. Authorities said there were no injuries among employees or bystanders, though a window at the station was struck by bullets. The shooting occurred about 1:30 p.m. local time, and officers identified the suspect’s vehicle and arrested him within hours. Hernandez Santana is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, and a mugshot was not immediately available.
Authorities said the motive remains under investigation, with the FBI assisting in the inquiry.
The incident occurred as ABC10 — the Sacramento-area affiliate of the ABC network — operates under Tegna, a company that is in the process of being acquired by Nexstar Media Group for about $6.2 billion. Authorities said there were staff members inside the building at the time of the shooting, but no injuries were reported.
The Sacramento Bee reported that about 15 people gathered outside the station Thursday to protest Disney’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel from air after comments about slain activist Charlie Kirk and his alleged assassin, a demonstration the Bee described as separate from the investigation but related to the broader media environment surrounding ABC.
In a broader security update, Fox San Francisco said there would be extra police patrols near ABC7 in San Francisco as a precaution following the Sacramento incident.
The case remains under investigation by local authorities, with the FBI assisting. Hernandez Santana is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday as prosecutors proceed with the charges stemming from the Friday shooting outside ABC10. While authorities released initial details, no motive has been publicly established, and investigators have emphasized that evidence and interviews will drive the next steps in the case.