'Do The Next Scary Thing': ABC TV Station Shooting Politically Motivated, Police Say

SACRAMENTO, CA — Authorities believe that Friday’s shooting of an ABC10 station in Sacramento was politically motivated, according to a criminal complaint filed against suspect Anibal Hernandez Santana.

Investigators found a handwritten note in Hernandez Santana's car that read, “For hiding Epstein & ignoring red flags. Do not support Patel, Bongino, & AG Pam Bondie. They’re next. - CK from above,” according to prosecutors. These are most likely references to FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and Attorney General Pam Bondie, and slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

According to the complaint, the north window of the ABC 10 station was struck by gunfire at around 1:34 p.m. Friday. Though no one was harmed, employees inside sheltered in place, and a planned news conference was canceled.

Hernandez Santana, a 64-year-old lawyer and retired lobbyist, was arrested Friday evening at his home in Sacramento. He faces a slew of federal charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, negligent discharge of a firearm, discharging a firearm in a school zone, interfering with a radio communications station, discharging a firearm into an inhabited building, and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, according to a criminal complaint.

He has been released on bail, though the Sacramento County district attorney is requesting no bail in the case, according to the criminal complaint and a KCRA report.

Video surveillance showed a suspect wearing a gray t-shirt, dark colored pants, gray and white shoes, and a dark colored satchel worn around his torso. Witnesses also provided officers with a spent casing, and a second witness provided a suspect vehicle description. Through video surveillance, police observation devices, and license plate readers, detectives were able to identify the suspect’s vehicle, according to the complaint.

At his home, detectives say they uncovered the same satchel as observed on video surveillance, which contained a Sub Compact 9mm handgun, the same caliber as the bullet and casing recovered from the shooting scene. Inside his home, detectives also say they found a whiteboard planner on Hernandez Santana’s fridge, and under “Friday”, detectives observed a handwritten note reading, “Do the Next Scary Thing.”

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho told NBC News he believes the evidence points to the shooting being influenced by politics.

"We’re still looking at investigating the case, but he chose a very particular target, and with the notes that he left behind and the target in place and the recent dismissal of the Jimmy Kimmel show, I think there’s circumstantial evidence there to show that this was politically motivated crime by this individual," Ho said.

SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Back On After ‘Thoughtful Discussions,’ Network Says

Reviews of Hernandez Santana’s social media accounts also found numerous posts critical of Donald Trump and conservative figures, including “I started carrying a gun when Trump was elected president, the FIRST time. Still do.”

ABC has been at the center of a national firestorm since announcing it was suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show last Wednesday due to remarks linking Charlie Kirk’s assassin to the MAGA movement. On Monday, the Walt Disney Company announced that the show will return Tuesday.

"Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country," The Walt Disney Company announced in a statement issued Monday. "It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

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