The man accused of firing three bullets into an ABC TV station in Sacramento broke his silence from behind bars and proclaimed he is ‘not a violent man’.
Anibal Hernandez Santana faces state and federal charges for the shooting at the KXTV station on September 19.
Because no one was hit or injured, some of the most serious charges against him are assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and the possession and discharge of a firearm within a school zone.
In an interview with CBS Sacramento, Santana said: ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen with my life, going forward, but I am not a violent man.’
Santana declined to comment about handwritten notes that FBI agents found in his car that appear to show his disgust for Trump administration officials.
‘For hiding Epstein & ignoring red flags. Do not support Patel, Bongino, & AG Pam Bondie. They’re next. – C.K. from above,’ the note said, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of California.
Santana, without his lawyer present, refused to tell CBS whether he is guilty or not and also did not talk about motive.
The shooting occurred shortly after ABC stations all over the country took Jimmy Kimmel’s late television program off the air following comments the comedian made about Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s show has since returned after a massive backlash.
Anibal Hernandez Santana (pictured in jail), the suspect in the shooting on the ABC station in Sacramento, told the local CBS affiliate that he is ‘not a violent man’
Pictured: Three bullet holes in the station’s window (left), which police say were fired by Santana on September 19
Santana added: ‘Well, you know, like anybody would imagine, this is a process like nothing that anyone ever experiences or imagines that they will be going through.
‘I am steadfast, I still feel strong thanks to the support of my family and relatives and a good network of friends.’
Santana also dodged when asked what his response was to workers at the ABC station who may be fearful after the shooting.
‘Well, it’s again, to the extent that that comes up in open court, I am very eager, very looking forward to explain precisely how I may or may not feel about that,’ he said.
‘Again, these are alleged accusations. But just today I was thinking about that, about how people may have felt in the community of Sacramento.’
Although Santana did not incriminate himself in his CBS interview, the Daily Mail revealed that he had made several anti-Trump social media posts shortly before the shooting, even wishing death on the president.
‘Where is a good heart attack when we need it the most?? Please Join in my thoughts and prayers for the physical demise of our fearful leader,’ he wrote a day before the shooting, seemingly talking about Trump.
Santana further wished death on Trump in another post, seemingly making a tenuous connection between the president and Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Kirk’s killing.
Santana declined to comment about handwritten notes that FBI agents found in his car that appear to show his disgust for Trump administration officials
Pictured: A X profile with Santana’s name made negative posts wishing death on President Donald Trump
A day after Kirk was assassinated on September 10, Santana posted a less-than-genuine tribute to the 31-year-old father-of-two
‘I support the death penalty for Tyler Robinson. Absolutely, as soon as the fed criminal code is amended to add the death penalty for a president who refuses to step down after certified election results and/or incites an insurrection. This has been a PSA for democracy. Thank you,’ he wrote.
A day after Kirk was assassinated, he posted a less-than-genuine tribute to the 31-year-old father-of-two.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family. May the prudence of his cost-benefit analysis for 2A rights vs. school shootings live on forever,’ the account wrote.
In his interview with CBS, Santana revealed that he was a captain in the army and that he was honorably discharged.
‘I’m devoted to this country. I love this country,’ he said. ‘I want to say, in case that it hasn’t been talked about in the press, that I am of Puerto Rican descent.’
Santana studied regional and city planning at UC Berkeley and law at UC Law San Francisco, according to a Facebook profile matching the other social media accounts.
Santana is also a lawyer who used to be a health policy analyst for the California Rural Indian Health Board.
Santana was arrested in connection to the shooting on September 19, the day it happened. He was then released on bail before being rearrested by the FBI the following day at his home.
If he is convicted on the state and federal charges, Santana will face decades in prison.
