Sacramento County DA says ‘key evidence’ at home connects suspect to ABC10 shooting
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office on Monday announced felony charges against the man accused of firing into the lobby of ABC10 Sacramento.District Attorney Thien Ho said a search warrant executed at Anibal Hernandez-Santana’s home in the River Park neighborhood “uncovered key evidence connecting him to the crime.” (Earlier coverage in the video above.)Ho said his office will be filing charges related to discharging a firearm into an inhabited building and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, along with personal use of a firearm allegation. If convicted of all charges, he would face a maximum sentence of 17 years in state prison. Hernandez-Santana, 64, is accused of firing multiple gunshots into the ABC10 television station Friday at 1 p.m.Three bullet holes were seen in the window of the building's lobby. A person was in the lobby at the time of the shooting, but not physically harmed, the station said.“When someone brazenly fires into a news station full of people in the middle of the day, it is not only an attack on innocent employees but also an attack on the news media and our community’s sense of safety,” Ho said in a statement. “My office will prosecute this case to ensure full accountability and send a clear message: violence, intimidation and attacks on a free press have no place in our community or society at large.”Police confirmed early Saturday that Hernandez-Santana was arrested Friday evening at a residence in the 5400 block of Carlson Drive in River Park. Investigators had linked him to a vehicle suspected in the drive-by shooting.He was first booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail around midnight and bail was set at $200,000. He posted bail on Saturday, police said.The FBI then re-arrested Hernandez-Santana later Saturday on probable cause for violating federal statute 47 USC 333, which has to do with interference with radio communications of stations that are licensed by the government.He is due to appear in federal court on Monday and county court on Tuesday. The federal charge carries a potential penalty of one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.Defense attorney Mark Reichel confirmed to KCRA 3 that he is representing Hernandez- Santana and said Sunday that his client was arrested by the FBI while he was on the phone with him.Police and the FBI have not yet outlined a possible motive for the shooting. But Reichel questioned the motives behind the federal arrest, which he described as a minor charge. He said he believed investigators were scrutinizing his client's social media activity, which was critical of the Trump administration."If you look at his social media, they're going to say, 'Boy, it sure shows that he's liberal and left wing.' So you think they're going to overlook something like that? I don't think so," he said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
