HOUSTON – What should have been the start of his first week in college has turned into weeks of recovery for 18-year-old Emmanuel Menchaca. His family says the recent high school graduate was shot by a neighbor outside their southwest Houston home while he and his younger brother were burying a pet guinea pig.
The shooting happened just after midnight on July 17. Emmanuel had finished a late shift at his warehouse job and returned home to bury “Cookie,” his guinea pig who had died earlier that day. His mother, Andrea Menchaca, says he found the pet dead before work but couldn’t bury it until after his 11 p.m. shift.
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His 12-year-old brother joined him that night, holding a flashlight while Emmanuel dug a small grave in the side yard.
Surveillance video captures shooting
Surveillance video provided by the family shows both brothers walking from the side of the home toward the driveway. The younger boy flinches as gunfire erupts. Emmanuel collapses, then gets up and runs toward the front door. His younger brother hides behind a parked car before both boys rush inside.
The family says Emmanuel was shot in the back. Andrea says the bullet caused a punctured diaphragm, a lacerated liver and lung damage. He spent 17 days in the ICU, part of that time intubated.
‘We were supposed to be moving him into school today’
On Monday, the family, surrounded by supporters and community advocates from FIEL Houston, held a press conference to demand justice. They say they have turned over the surveillance video and a witness statement to investigators, but so far, no arrests have been made.
“Today, exactly today, my husband and I were supposed to be heading back from San Antonio after getting him situated for college,” Andrea said. “Instead, his start to school has been delayed.”
César Espinosa, executive director of FIEL Houston, called the case “appalling” and said, “The events that took place on the night of July 17 — they shouldn’t have happened.”
Cordial relationship with neighbor
Andrea told KPRC 2 that before the shooting, the family and the neighbor had never had major issues. “We were cordial,” she said. “We would wave, say hi, the basic neighbor stuff. This was completely unexpected.”
One-on-one with Emmanuel’s parents
After the press conference, Andrea and her husband, Samuel, spoke with KPRC 2 one-on-one. Andrea said that now Emmanuel is home, she feels she can be his voice.
“Now that he’s out of the hospital, I can speak louder and try my best to be his voice… to make sure justice is served and that this man is taken into custody — because nothing’s being done,” she said.
She also described the moment in the ICU when Emmanuel, unable to speak because of the breathing tube, used a laminated alphabet sheet to spell out messages. “He asked me, ‘Where are you staying? Don’t go back home. Has he been arrested?’ If he had that mindset while in critical condition, I can only imagine what he feels now.”
Samuel says the memory of that night still weighs heavily. “Once I saw my son on the floor, begging for his life in blood, my focus was just to keep him calm and show him everything was going to be okay,” he said.
Advice to other parents
Andrea’s message to other parents in similar situations: “Don’t stay quiet. Don’t feel like what you have to say doesn’t matter. Any parent would do whatever it takes for their child.”
Police response
KPRC 2 contacted the Houston Police Department on Monday to ask about the status of the case and whether the neighbor has been questioned or arrested.
A spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing.
