Carlos Antonio Mendoza

Carlos Antonio Mendoza was a 30 year old Venezuelan soldier who killed five of his relatives and wounded eight others at the El Libertador Air Base in Maracay, Venezuela, on November 3, 2009, before soldiers killed him.

Mendoza was a sergeant in the military, and had joined in 1999. His superiors considered him to be an excellent soldier who was well disciplined and intelligent. He married a woman named Alexandra in 2001, and had three children with her. He reportedly suspected her of sleeping with other men while he was at the base, and also suspected the rest of his family of covering this up, though he never voiced these suspicions.

On November 2, 2009, he asked his superiors if he could be allowed to show his family the airbase. They agreed to let him do so, as a reward for Mendoza's excellent service. They did not realize the severe family problems Mendoza had been having. the following morning, Mendoza came to the base with his wife, children, parents, siblings, and some of his siblings relatives. While showing them around Mendoza told his wife he had to go to the restroom. But instead of going to the toilet Mendoza entered the bunker and fetched an assault rifle. He then returned to his relatives at about 10:15 A.M. and opened fire, killing his wife, two of his children aged 1 and 8, as well as one of his brothers and the brothers wife. He also wounded his mother, 2 year old son, another brother, two sisters, and two of his nephews and a niece between the ages of 5 and 10 before other soldiers shot him dead, about 20 seconds after Mendoza had opened fire.