By Ethan Faverino |

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne criticized the lenient sentencing of Daniel Hollander. Hollander was arrested in January 2025 after breaking into Legacy Traditional School–East Tucson with a gun and knife, threatening to kill children and “make them famous.”

Hollander faced charges of attempted terrorism, interfering with an educational institution, weapons misconduct on school grounds, and burglary. He was sentenced to only 18 months in prison followed by probation, a punishment Horne deems inadequate to protect Arizona’s students.

Hollander’s arrest was made possible by the swift and courageous actions of Tucson police officer William Bonanno, a school safety officer funded through the Arizona Department of Education’s school safety program.

“We avoided that tragedy by the skin of our teeth,” said Superintendent Horne. “Tucson Police Officer William Bonanno was the safety officer on campus. He was hired just two weeks before the incident. He is experienced and brave, and after being alerted to a problem on campus, he checked an open door and found the would-be perpetrator with a gun and a knife. Because of his experience and courage, he did not wait for backup but immediately arrested the individual.”

In a statement following the sentencing in Pima County Superior Court, Horne expressed outrage at the prosecutor’s recommendation of just one year in prison and 10 years’ probation.

“As a former Attorney General, I know that the public is entitled to be protected from people like this defendant,” Horne stated. “The judge increased it to 18 months, but could not do more in view of the prosecutor’s recommendation. Probation is not perfect. If this individual has a bad day, he could go into a school and kill students. In my opinion, the prosecutor’s recommendation should have been at least 20 years in prison to protect our children.”

Horne emphasized his administration’s commitment to school safety, noting that the number of police officers in Arizona schools has risen from 190 to 585 over the past two years.

Just before the incident, the Arizona Department of Education identified unused funds and reopened grant opportunities, enabling the hiring of Officer Bonanno.

“I urge the schools to consider that a maniac could invade a school and kill 20 students, as has happened in other states, and could happen here. This is my worst nightmare,” said Horne.

Horne’s administration remains dedicated to strengthening school safety measures to protect Arizona’s students from threats like these.

Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.