Visalia Mall Shooting Case Ends With Resentencing to Life

A gang member has again been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a 2012 shooting at the Visalia Mall, after a jury this month upheld gang-related findings tied to the case, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Anthony Hanson, 32, was sentenced Wednesday in Tulare County Superior Court to 132 years to life in prison, according to prosecutors. Judge Melinda Reed handed down the sentence after a jury on April 7 found true allegations that the shooting was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

Hanson had previously been convicted by a Tulare County jury in 2014 of attempted murder and assault with a firearm. However, under Assembly Bill 333, a 2022 law requiring gang enhancements to be tried separately from underlying charges, Hanson was allowed to seek a new determination on those allegations.

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said prosecutors have litigated the case multiple times since the shooting but were satisfied with the outcome.

“Even though prosecutors have been tasked with litigating this case numerous times since 2012, we are pleased that the jury once again recognized that this crime … was for the benefit of a street gang,” Ward said in a statement.

The January 2012 Shooting

The case stems from a Jan. 27, 2012, shooting at the Visalia Mall. Police responding to reports of gunfire shortly before 7 p.m. found two men wounded inside a candy store. One victim had been shot in the neck, and another in the thigh.

Authorities said Hanson and co-defendant Adrian Esquer, both wearing red bandanas, approached a group of rival gang members before a verbal confrontation. Esquer then fired nine shots from a .22-caliber handgun, striking one gang member and a bystander.

Investigators said Hanson remained with Esquer as they fled the mall and disposed of the weapon nearby. Hanson was arrested the next day and, according to authorities, told officers, “I’m going away for a long time on this one.” Esquer was arrested two days after the shooting.

At their February 2014 trial, both men were convicted of multiple counts, including attempted murder and assault with a firearm, with additional findings that the crimes were gang-related and involved firearm use and great bodily injury. Hanson was originally sentenced to 346 years to life in prison, while Esquer received 406 years to life.

Hanson later appealed under Senate Bill 1437, which addresses felony murder liability. As a result, some sentencing enhancements tied to firearm use and great bodily injury were vacated, reducing his sentence to 104 years to life before the latest proceedings.

Esquer was not part of the appeals and continues to serve his sentence at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla.

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