Paulino Fernández Vázquez was born in 1925 in the small village of Surribas, located in the municipality of Chantada, in the Galician province of Lugo, Spain. A lifelong resident of the area, Paulino lived a reclusive rural life, working as a farmer. He owned approximately 14 cows and had recently invested in a tractor prior to the tragic events of 1989. He was married for 30 years to a woman who was 12 years older than him. His wife suffered from multiple health issues—she was blind, deaf, and had a fractured hip. The couple had no children and lived a quiet, isolated life on their farm.

Locals described Paulino as a reserved, introverted, and tight-fisted man. Despite being seen as strange, he had no prior criminal record or violent incidents. There were no known conflicts with neighbors, and he was generally perceived as a quiet, if somewhat eccentric, figure.

However, underneath that calm exterior, Paulino struggled with serious mental health issues. He had a long history of psychological instability and was first diagnosed with depressive syndrome in 1971. The diagnosis included a pathological somatic reflex that affected both his stomach and liver. That same year, he visited a psychiatrist, and he returned for additional psychiatric consultations in 1974 and again in 1988. Each time, the assessments confirmed persistent depression and possible somatic symptoms related to rheumatic disease. His mental state appeared to deteriorate in the years leading up to the attack.

In the months before the massacre, Paulino became increasingly paranoid and withdrawn. He had recently purchased several plots of land from relatives living in Brazil. To avoid tax obligations, he reportedly never changed the land registry to his own name. This legal shortcut triggered deep paranoia where he feared that his neighbors or the government would somehow seize the property from him. His lawyer repeatedly tried to assure him that his ownership was secure, but Paulino remained obsessed with the idea of losing his land. According to his wife, Paulino also suffered from severe headaches and spiritual delusions. His wife recalled that he had shown signs of psychological disturbance since childhood, including at least one episode of insanity.

On the morning of March 8, 1989, Paulino Fernández woke up in a distressed and paranoid state. He traveled from Surribas to Chantada, where he met with his lawyer to discuss the land issues that had been troubling him for weeks. The lawyer later stated that Paulino appeared unusually anxious and depressed. After the meeting, he visited a local notary and then did some light work with his brother before returning to Surribas by midday.

He had lunch with his wife and brother, and once again voiced his growing concern that others were conspiring to take his land. After lunch, his brother and wife left the house to visit friends, leaving Paulino alone. Around 2:30 p.m., Paulino armed himself with a knife and stepped outside. He encountered a neighbor who was chopping wood. When he inquired about a group of villagers standing on the road, the neighbor told him they were waiting for a bus to attend a funeral. Without warning, Paulino attacked the neighbor, stabbing him multiple times. The victim managed to flee, bleeding heavily, and was rushed to the hospital in Chantada. Most villagers witnessed the event but misunderstood its severity and continued to the funeral as planned.

Paulino then calmly returned home, gathered his cows, and led them to graze in a field near Quinzán. While walking past a nearby farm known as "A Lamela," he encountered four laborers, all of whom were carrying sickles. Ignoring their tools, Paulino attacked them with his knife, killing three on the spot. The fourth victim, a woman, tried to flee, but he caught up with her and fatally stabbed her as well. He continued on foot toward Quinzán and Surribas, assaulting anyone he encountered along the way. He attacked at least seven additional people. Two died at the scene, one died in the hospital 20 days later, and four or five others were injured. Witnesses later claimed that Paulino also carried an axe during the rampage. Some villagers he passed were spared, as he seemingly chose his victims at random.

The rampage only ended when one of his intended victims managed to wrestle a knife from Paulino’s hands. With his weapon gone, Paulino returned home.

News of the massacre quickly reached his brother, who acted swiftly to remove Paulino’s wife from the house for her safety. Shortly afterward, Paulino set fire to the house and laid down on the bed. He died in the blaze. Witnesses later reported hearing an explosion from a tractor stored on the property. His charred body was found in the stable below the home after the fire had burned through the floorboards.