Three shots are visible in a window at the ABC 10 offices on Friday Sept. 19, 2026, on Broadway in Sacramento. Anibal Hernandez Santana, who is accused in the shooting, returned to court Wednesday March 18, 2026.
Paul Kitagaki Jr.
pkitagaki@sacbee.com
A man accused of a shooting at a Sacramento TV station in September spoke briefly in court Wednesday, telling the judge his next hearing should be scheduled sooner than the attorneys in his criminal case proposed.
Anibal “Al” Hernandez Santana, a retired lobbyist, is accused of firing a gun last month at ABC10’s studios in Upper Land Park .
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office charged Hernandez Santana, 65, with firing a gun into an inhabited building, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and firing a gun in a grossly negligent manner. The felony charges include enhancements for using a firearm, which could extend a prison sentence if he’s convicted.
The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at the studios on the 400 block of Broadway. 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 conservative activist Charlie 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. ABC10 (KXTV) is owned by Tegna, a national chain of TV stations spun off by Gannett a decade ago.
About two months after the shooting, the District Attorney’s Office filed a new criminal charge in a separate case. Hernandez Santana faces a felony charge of firing a gun on Sept. 18 at an inhabited building at 2555 Third Street in Sacramento, not far from the TV station.
Anibal “Al” Hernandez Santana Mark Reichel
On Wednesday afternoon, Hernandez Santana returned to Sacramento Superior Court for Judge David Bonilla to consolidate the two local criminal cases. In November, Deputy District Attorney Casey Newton had told the judge the prosecution would ask the court to consolidate the cases.
Bonilla granted the request to consolidate the cases without any objection from Mark Reichel, Hernandez Santana’s attorney. Reichel and Newton agreed to ask the court to schedule Hernandez Santana’s next hearing on April 23. The judge then asked the defendant whether he was okay with the next court date?
“The only thing I would say, your honor, that seems really far out,” Hernandez Santana said about the April court date that he felt wasn’t soon enough.
Hernandez Santana then briefly discussed the issue with his attorney before saying he was OK with scheduling the next court hearing on April 23.
The defendant, who has been held in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail since Sept. 20, is scheduled to return June 1 to federal court in Sacramento. He faces federal charges stemming from the ABC10 shooting.
A federal grand jury indicted Hernandez Santana 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. If convicted of the federal charges, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 4:13 PM.
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
Rosalio Ahumada writes breaking news stories related to crime and public safety for The Sacramento Bee. He speaks Spanish fluently and has worked as a news reporter in the Central Valley since 2004.