Gunfire erupted outside Miami International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, triggering a massive law enforcement response and sending frightened travelers scrambling for cover before deputies arrested a 31-year-old man.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies rushed to the airport shortly after 4 p.m. following reports of shots fired near the departures level.
Authorities identified the suspect as Francisco Ivan Mendiola, 31, who was taken into custody without further incident.
Investigators said the shooting was isolated and there was no longer a threat to the public. No injuries were reported.
According to authorities, Mendiola fired several rounds near Door 13 outside the terminal. An arrest affidavit later said four shots were fired, with rounds striking a metal trash can and an unoccupied vehicle.
Deputies found Mendiola inside the short-term parking garage and recovered a firearm from a backpack in his possession, according to investigators.
“Deputies quickly responded and took a subject into custody,” a sheriff’s office social-media post read.
Here is the suspect that is currently
in custody after shots being fired at Miami International Airport.
I’m not saying but…. pic.twitter.com/v4JvoYZCWP
— Steve(@SteveLovesAmmo) September 23, 2026
One traveler described the terrifying moments after the shots rang out.
Kayla Paige Bryson, who was waiting outside for an Uber with her brother and two young sons, said she heard three shots and spotted a man near the parking garage walkway.
Her brother immediately told her and the children to get down.
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“We all got behind a cop car. It seemed like forever,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “We just prayed, but the cops got him.”
Video from the airport showed a heavy police presence as deputies flooded the departures area and placed a man in handcuffs before escorting him to a patrol vehicle.
For roughly two hours, the departure-level roadway and the terminal area between doors 12 and 17 were shut down while investigators secured the scene.
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Miami International Airport later announced that operations had returned to normal.
“All passengers and airport employees are safe,” the airport said.
By around 6 p.m., passengers were again moving through the previously closed portion of the terminal, although several deputies and patrol vehicles remained in the area.
The incident did not appear to cause widespread flight disruptions, with only a small number of delays reported Wednesday night.
Mendiola was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges including unlawful discharge of a firearm, criminal mischief and shooting or throwing a deadly missile.
An arrest affidavit said Mendiola appeared intoxicated and was behaving aggressively after his arrest, preventing investigators from immediately conducting a formal interview.
Detective Joseph Peguero Rivera reminded travelers that deputies are stationed throughout the airport and urged passengers to report anything suspicious.
What began as fears of a possible active shooter ultimately ended without injuries, but not before one of the nation’s busiest airports was briefly thrown into chaos.
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