A burst of gunfire outside Miami International Airport turned an ordinary Wednesday afternoon into a scramble for cover as deputies raced toward the terminal and frightened families dropped behind police vehicles.
One mother who was waiting for an Uber with her brother and two young sons later captured the moment in five words: “We just prayed.”
The terrifying scene ended without a reported injury. Deputies arrested 31-year-old Francisco Ivan Mendiola near the short-term parking garage and said the shooting was isolated, not an ongoing active-shooter threat.
CBS News Miami reports that deputies were called at about 4:05 p.m. after shots were fired near the departures level. According to the arrest affidavit reviewed by the station, four rounds were fired in the direction of the occupied terminal.
Three bullets struck a metal trash can. A fourth hit the windshield of an unoccupied Dodge Challenger.
Vehicles and pedestrians were nearby, making the absence of injuries feel less like a footnote and more like a mercy.
The affidavit places the gunfire beside one of the country’s busiest airport terminals in the middle of normal passenger and vehicle traffic. Deputies had to move toward the garage while travelers were still trying to understand whether the danger was over.
Miami International Airport warned travelers that the departure roadway and the section of the terminal between Doors 12 and 17 had been temporarily closed while law enforcement secured the area.
Travel Advisory (09/23/26)
Due to law enforcement activity at the airport, the departure level roadway and the terminal area from Doors 12 to 17 are temporarily closed.
All vehicle traffic is currently being diverted to the arrivals level.
All passengers and airport… pic.twitter.com/YGz3uGCr30
— Miami Int'l Airport (@iflymia) September 23, 2026
That dry phrase—“law enforcement activity”—barely hints at what people on the curb were seeing. Witnesses described hearing shots, spotting a man near the garage walkway and being ordered down as heavily armed deputies poured into the area.
NBC 6 South Florida obtained cellphone video showing a bearded man in handcuffs being escorted outside the airport. The station reported that deputies found the suspect near the short-term garage after passengers frantically pointed officers in his direction.
Video carried by SNN shows the scale of the response and the suspect in custody as officers worked to clear the departures area.
The witness who was waiting for an Uber said her brother immediately told her and the children to get down. They sheltered behind a police vehicle during what she described as an agonizing wait before officers caught the man.
The arrest affidavit says a deputy saw Mendiola holding a firearm and loading a magazine on the second floor of the garage. Deputies later recovered a gun from his backpack, along with two magazines capable of holding 16 rounds each.
Investigators also found four spent shell casings.
Authorities said Mendiola appeared intoxicated and behaved aggressively after his arrest, preventing detectives from immediately conducting a formal interview. Those allegations have not been tested in court.
WLRN independently confirmed that the shooting happened near Door 13 and that responding deputies took Mendiola into custody shortly after they arrived. The public-radio outlet also reported that no injuries were recorded and the situation was quickly contained.
The sheriff’s office gave the public its first crucial reassurance while deputies were still working: a subject was in custody and there was no ongoing threat.
The departure roadway reopened roughly two hours after the initial call, and the airport said all passengers and employees were safe. Only a limited number of delays were reported Wednesday night.
Mendiola faces one felony count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile, one misdemeanor count of unlawfully discharging a firearm in public and two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief, CBS reported. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
For the families crouched behind that patrol car, the legal process comes later. In the moment, they had no idea whether more shots were coming.
They prayed, deputies moved fast, and everyone made it home alive.
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[ H/T WLT Report ]
