Deceased Identified in Fifth Ward Officer-Involved Shooting

HOUSTON, TX – Houston police are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday afternoon in the city’s Fifth Ward.

According to the Houston Police Department, the incident happened around 2:20 p.m. on January 11, 2026, in the 4800 block of Wayne Street. The deceased was identified as 29-year-old Larry Menifee Jr.

HPD officials said officers were dispatched to a call involving a suspicious person with a weapon who was reportedly attempting to force entry into a residence. When officers arrived, they located Menifee outside the home in a nearby vacant lot. He was armed with a firearm and behaving erratically.

Investigators with HPD’s Homicide Division Special Investigations Unit said Menifee refused repeated verbal commands to drop the weapon. During the encounter, he allegedly placed the firearm to his own head. At some point during the confrontation, HPD Officer I. Lagunas discharged his duty weapon, striking Menifee. Menifee was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Officer Lagunas, a three-year veteran assigned to the Northeast Patrol Division, was not injured. He was sworn in as an HPD officer in August 2023.

An autopsy will determine the official cause and manner of death. Menifee’s father told investigators that his son struggled with bipolar disorder and was sometimes unable to afford his prescribed medication.

As standard protocol in officer-involved shootings, the case is being jointly investigated by HPD’s Homicide Division, Robbery Division, Internal Affairs Division, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.