Reports of a shooting had a large force of Miami-Dade deputies rush to Miami International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. One person is in handcuffs and there is no longer a “threat to the public.”
Around 4 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a possible active shooter at MIA, Detective Joseph Peguero Rivera, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said during a press conference.
A man who is believed to be the shooter but was not identified by authorities was taken into custody, Peguero Rivera said. The man is currently being questioned.
Detectives learned he fired several shots toward the ground or at a trash can in the area of Door 13 on the departures level outside. It’s unclear what led to the shooting, but there were no victims or injuries involved.
“Deputies quickly responded and took a subject into custody,” a sheriff’s office social-media post read.
On social media, videos have surfaced of a man being put in handcuffs and taken to a patrol car at the airport.
A witness — Kayla Paige Bryson, from Alexandria, Tennessee — was waiting outside for an Uber at the airport with her brother and two young sons, she wrote on Facebook. She heard three shots and saw a man on the walkway near a parking garage. Her brother yelled for her and the boys to get down.
“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.”
Deputies from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office rushed to Miami International Airport after reports of a shooting Wednesday afternoon, that resulted in the arrest of a man who is believed to be the shooter but was not identified, on September 23, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
For about two hours, the departure-level roadway and the terminal area from doors 12 to 17 were closed, the airport said. MIA has since returned to normal operations.
“All passengers and airport employees are safe,” the airport said.
Around 6 p.m., travelers were moving through the once-closed terminals, and a smattering of deputies and patrol cars remained. It did not appear the incident had much impact on flights, as only a few trips showed delays Wednesday night.
Peguero Rivera reminded travelers deputies are “in every corner of this airport,” and urged that if anyone sees something to say something.
Deputies from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office rushed to Miami International Airport after reports of a shooting Wednesday afternoon, that resulted in the arrest of a man who is believed to be the shooter but was not identified, on September 23, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com 
There is a large police presence at Miami International Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. CBS News Miami 
A person was detained after shooting reports at Miami International Airport; terminals and departure areas were closed as Miami-Dade deputies flooded the area. Pedro Portal Miami Herald
This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 5:22 PM.
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Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.