Man arrested in connection with shooting at local ABC affiliate news station

Police gather at KXTV, an ABC affiliate, where shots were fired on Friday, September 19, in Sacramento, California. (KCRA via CNN Newsource)

Authorities have arrested a suspect and are working to determine a motive after bullets zipped through the windows of a local Sacramento TV station in what city police described as a drive-by shooting on Friday afternoon.

Even though the building was occupied at the time, all employees of KXTV — also known as ABC10 — are safe and unharmed after the shooting, according to Tegna, the media company that owns the station.

KXTV is also a local affiliate of ABC and CNN.

Hours after the shooting — which was reported at 1:30 p.m. local time Friday — a 64-year-old man was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building and negligent discharge of a firearm in connection to the shooting, police said.

Police identified the suspect as Anibal Hernandez Santana, who was arrested after a vehicle match led police to a residence, Sacramento police told CNN early Saturday morning. He is currently being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on $200,000 bail, records show. He’s scheduled to appear in court on September 23. CNN is working to identify Hernandez Santana’s attorney.

The FBI is assisting the Sacramento Police Department in the investigation, the agency told CNN Saturday.

The shooting came one day after protesters gathered at the station in response to ABC pulling comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show off air “indefinitely” over comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, according to KXTV. There were no protests taking place at the time of the shooting on Friday, CNN affiliate KCRA reported.

In a statement to CNN, Tegna spokesperson Molly McMahon said “while details are still limited, importantly, all of our employees are safe and unharmed. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and have taken additional measures to ensure the continued safety of our employees.”

Police are working to determine whether the station has received any recent threats, said Anthony Gamble, Sacramento police spokesperson. They will also look for digital evidence including surveillance footage, piece together a timeline and interview employees who were inside the station.

“It should never be accepted that somebody is going to drive by any type of business, let alone a media partner, and shoot at the building,” Gamble said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the shooting, his office said in a post on X.

“While no injuries have been reported, any act of violence toward journalists is an attack on our democracy itself and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” the post read. “We stand with reporters and staff who work every day to keep communities informed and safe!”

Police are asking the public to share any information that may be related to the case. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips through Crime Stoppers.

Article written by Zoe Sottile, Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

CNN’s Jack Hannah contributed to this report.