(FOX40.COM) — The man accused of firing into a local news station made an “unusual” visit to an elementary school days before, the US Department of Justice said.
According to court documents filed by the DOJ, on Sept. 16, Anibal Hernandez Santana walked into the office of an elementary school in the neighborhood of Land Park and asked if he could read to children or otherwise volunteer at the school that day.
An employee told him twice that it was against school policy for him to do so before being cleared. Prosecutors said Hernandez Santana left a note for the office manager that stated he “would like to read to young students.”
Some staff were familiar with Hernandez Santana because his child had attended the school two years ago, the DOJ said. Hernandez Santana also taught an after-school Spanish class there.
According to the court documents, school employees said the suspect had not been to the school in some time and described his behavior that day as “weird” and “very out of character.”
Staff told authorities they feared for their safety if he was released from custody.
In court documents, prosecutors argued that the suspect would likely have been familiar with school policies given his prior history with the school and that the visit was “consistent with pre-attack surveillance.”
Three days after the visit, Hernandez Santana is alleged to have fired a gun into the air towards ABC10, then shot another three bullets through the station’s window. No one was injured.
Prosecutors cited Hernandez Santana’s “unusual and concerning” school visit and the notes found in his home and car as a reason for him not to be released before his trial.
Jacque Porter
Source link