Who is Francisco Ivan Mendiola? Miami International Airport shooting suspect faces multiple charges - 5 things to know

Francisco Ivan Mendiola has been charged after four shots were fired towards a Miami International Airport terminal. Francisco Ivan Mendiola has been charged after four shots were fired towards a Miami International Airport terminal, striking a trash can and an unoccupied vehicle.Francisco Ivan Mendiola was charged over the shooting incident at the Miami International Airport. Image for representational purposes. (Unsplash)The incident on Wednesday, September 23, prompted large law enforcement response at the the ninth busiest airport in the US (as per 2025 numbers).Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office noted that deputies responded to the airport around 4:05pm after reports of shots fired. Detective Joseph Peguero Rivera said that it was an isolated incident and authorities later clarified that there was no active shooter threat and no injuries that had come from the shooting. MIA further clarified that all passengers and employees were safe.Also Read | Man shot by ICE in Texas back in hospital due to bullet in the backMeanwhile, here's everything to know about Francisco Ivan Mendiola, the man charged over the MIA shooting incident.Who is Francisco Ivan Mendiola? 5 things to knowFrancisco Ivan Mendiola is a 31-year-old who faces a felony count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile, one misdemeanor count of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place and two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief.According to the affidavit filed, Mendiola fired four rounds near an airport terminal, CBS News reported. Of these, three were fired toward the terminal and struck a trash can. The fourth hit an unoccupied Dodge Challenger.Mendiola was found on the second floor of the short-term parking garage, and one deputy saw him holding a firearm and loading a magazine into it. Many passengers had frantically directed authorities towards the shooting suspect.He was later taken into custody while seated on a bench in the short-term parking area. They found a firearm in his backpack and four spent shell casings were found near the area where he was present. The firearm Mendiola was carrying had two 16-round-capacity magazines containing 12 rounds each.As per authorities, Mendiola appeared intoxicated and was acting aggressively, making an interview impossible at the time due to his condition and behavior.MIA shooting: Passengers reactWhile the investigation remains underway, people at the Miami International Airport reacted to the shooting incident. When Mendiola opened fire, there were several people nearby and flights were operating normally as well.A Tennessee family at the scene recounted what it was like. “I heard a loud pop, and I look at my father, and we both agree that it’s not a tire. It’s a pistol,” tourist Joshua Miller told WSVN.A travel influencer and blogger added “So we were standing right here waiting on our Uber and we heard three shots go off and the man was in there. God was with us today, and that’s the most important thing I can say.”Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More