Man charged in ABC station shooting posted anti-Trump remarks

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, September 23, 2025A demonstrator waves a “Protect Free Speech” sign following a protest against the suspension of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show, held near the theater where the show is produced in Hollywood, on Sept. 22, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. A contingent of Hollywood union members, along with Democratic members of the House of Representatives, participated in the event “to defend Americans’ constitutional right to free speech.” Kimmel’s ABC late-night show had been taken off the air after he falsely claimed that the 22-year-old who assassinated Charlie Kirk was a MAGA conservative. | Mario Tama/Getty ImagesA Sacramento man charged with shooting into the lobby of an ABC affiliate after the network suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show previously called on people to pray for President Donald Trump’s demise in one of several anti-Trump posts on his social media. Anibal Hernandez Santana, 64, reportedly fired at least three shots into the window of the ABC10 affiliate last Friday, according to the Sacramento Police Department. While the building was occupied at the time of the shooting, no one was physically injured. Authorities announced on Saturday that they had identified the vehicle connected to the case and arrested Hernandez Santana on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, negligent discharge of a firearm, and shooting into an occupied building.As Variety reported on Friday, the suspect’s LinkedIn page states that he worked as a legislative director for the California Federation of Teachers from December 2013 to January 2015. He also worked as a health policy analyst at the California Rural Indian Health Board from May 2016 to June 2018, before working as a self-employed health policy consultant from August 2018 to October 2020.As of October 2022, Hernandez Santana’s page lists “Full-time parenting” as his occupation. Variety also identified an X page that appears to belong to the suspect, noting that it “contains a steady stream of anti-Trump commentary.”“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,” a Sept. 18 X post states. Following the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, an X post from the account last Tuesday stated that he would support the death penalty for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged in connection with the murder, but on one condition: “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.” Another X post from the account on July 18 complained that “the authoritarian oligarchy is now complete” in response to various actions from the Trump administration.“CBS+ caving, big law firms in DC, the subservients FBI and AG, university presidents stepping down, fan boys SCOTUS, public radio, ICE goons,” the post declared. “We are going to have to ‘fight like hell’.  Rules don’t apply if election was stolen. FIGHT!”Hernandez Santana was released from the Sacramento County Jail on Saturday, ABC10 reported over the weekend. Hours later, the FBI re-arrested the suspect on charges related to the shooting. According to the FBI, Hernandez Santana is accused of violating federal statute 47 USC 33, which states: “No person shall willfully or maliciously interfere with or cause interference to any radio communications of any station licensed or authorized by or under this chapter or operated by the United States Government.” Hernandez Santana made his first court appearance on Monday and is scheduled to appear in Sacramento County Superior Court on Tuesday for the local charges, ABC10 reported.The shooting at the ABC affiliate building occurred a day after a protest outside the station over Kimmel’s suspension, according to Variety. The indefinite suspension of the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” came after the comedian claimed during his monologue on Monday of last week that the “MAGA gang” is “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”Kimmel doubled down on his remarks during his monologue the following night, where he accused people in “MAGAland” of “working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”Disney executive reportedly held discussions with Kimmel about “taking down the temperature,” according to CNN. A source familiar with the matter told the cable channel that the late-night host planned to deliver a “very hot” monologue that would have mocked Trump and his base. Around the same time that these discussions between Kimmel and Disney executives were reportedly taking place, Nexstar, which aired “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in approximately two dozen markets, announced that it would no longer air the show. Advertisers and affiliate networks also became concerned after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr suggested the agency could pull the broadcast licenses of ABC-owned stations, according to The Wall Street Journal.Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden informed Kimmel that the show would be pulled indefinitely following a discussion with Disney CEO Bob Iger, according to CNN.On Monday, ABC announced that it was bringing back Kimmel. However, Sinclair, Inc. stated Monday evening that it was planning to air news programming instead, noting that discussions between them and ABC were “ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman