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‘They’re Next’: Note From Alleged ABC Station Shooter Lists Future Targets

By Frank Yemi
A 64-year-old man accused of firing into the lobby of Sacramento’s ABC10 left a handwritten note hinting at who he thought should be “next,” prosecutors say, turning a frightening newsroom attack into a broader political flashpoint.  Anibal Hernandez-Santana was first arrested Friday on state charges after shots shattered glass at the station on Broadway, then he posted $200,000 bail and was promptly rearrested by the FBI on federal counts, including interfering with a federally licensed radio communication station and discharging a firearm in a school zone. No one was injured in the attack. According to an amended federal complaint and multiple news reports, investigators searching Hernandez-Santana’s vehicle found a note that referenced Jeffrey Epstein and warned against supporting several figures, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Secret Service Director Kash Patel, and commentator Dan Bongino. The message ended with the line, “They’re next, C.K. from above,” language prosecutors say underscores a potentially political motive. Agents also uncovered writings at his home, including a planner entry for the same day that read, “Do the next scary thing.” The station attack unfolded on September 19. Authorities say Hernandez-Santana fired once in the air near the station, then drove to ABC10’s entrance and fired multiple rounds into the lobby while an employee was present. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California later announced federal charges tied to the shooting and to interference with a communications facility, elevating a case that had already rattled local media workers. ABC10 reported that the handwritten note explicitly invoked Epstein and urged readers not to support Patel, Bongino, and Bondi, before the ominous “They’re next” signoff. The Los Angeles Times likewise described the recovered note and detailed prosecutors’ contention that political grievances animated the attack. Together, the documents and coverage sketch a portrait of a suspect who had fixated on high profile names, then allegedly took those fixations from social media and private writings into the real world. Defense attorney Mark Reichel, who is representing Hernandez-Santana, has criticized the federal case and questioned whether politics influenced the decision to pile on charges after his client posted bail. In interviews with Sacramento outlets, Reichel said his client would plead not guilty and cast the FBI’s quick rearrest as government overreach. Prosecutors, for their part, have moved to keep Hernandez-Santana in custody, pointing to the recovered notes and to the allegation that he fired into a TV newsroom while people were inside. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_vzaIR69Gg Court filings and press statements indicate the federal counts could carry several years in prison and significant fines if convicted. Investigators also found anti-Trump material in the vehicle, while a refrigerator calendar entry repeated the “Do the next scary thing” line under the date of the shooting, details that prosecutors say speak to intent and planning. A detention decision, along with next steps in the federal and state tracks, is expected at upcoming court appearances in Sacramento. A newsroom shooting with no injuries has morphed into a high-profile case about political rage, public threats, and where online vitriol meets real-life action. With a chilling note that reads “They’re next,” and with prosecutors pushing to keep the suspect locked up, Sacramento is watching to see whether a paper trail of warnings turns into a long federal sentence.

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