HOUSTON, TX — A family dispute between two brothers who owned competing smoke shops escalated into violence when one brother was shot by a neighbor after forcing his way into a southwest Houston home while seeking help.
Leontay Wade remains in critical condition at a local hospital after being shot multiple times by a homeowner in the 4800 block of Ingomar Way early Tuesday morning. His brother Kenneth Jolivet fled the scene and remains at large, with Houston police actively searching for him. The shooting occurred after Wade, bloodied from an earlier altercation with his brother, desperately knocked on doors throughout the neighborhood begging for help before forcing entry into a residence. The homeowner, believing Wade was an intruder, opened fire in what investigators are examining as a potential self-defense case.
The violence began the day before when Kenneth Jolivet went to his mother’s house around 4 p.m. and held her hostage for six hours, according to their mother, Shirley Jolivet. “He tied me up and held me hostage for six hours. He beat me, left bruises, and whipped me with extension cords,” Shirley said through tears in an interview with ABC13. She explained that Kenneth used her as bait to lure Wade and their father to the house, setting up the confrontation that would spill into the streets. The brothers had been feuding over their competing smoke shop businesses, with tensions escalating in recent months. When Wade finally arrived to check on his mother, the brothers began fighting in the street outside the home.
Ring doorbell video obtained by local news stations shows a bloodied Wade urgently knocking on a neighbor’s door, begging for help and asking someone to call 911. Kenneth Jolivet, wearing Adidas clothing, can be seen in the background of the footage. After the first homeowner refused to open the door, Wade ran down the street and attempted to enter another house. Houston Police Lieutenant J.P. Harlicka said investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of Wade’s initial injuries. “Either he was shot or hit in the head with something or assaulted or something, but he had blood on his head. He went to several doors knocking,” Harlicka told reporters. Wade eventually reached a home on Ingomar Way, where he kicked in the front door and forced his way inside, prompting the homeowner to shoot him multiple times.
Kenneth Jolivet, described by police as a Black male in his early 20s wearing a black hoodie, jumpsuit, and mask, fled the scene immediately after the shooting and has not been located. Police confirmed the homeowner is not a law enforcement officer and emphasized that the case has two distinct parts they are investigating. First, authorities need to determine what exactly happened to Wade before he entered the neighborhood and began seeking help. Second, they are working to locate Kenneth Jolivet and determine his role in the initial assault. Witnesses reported seeing both men running through the area near Campden Hill Road shortly after midnight, with Wade already bleeding from head injuries. The Houston Police Department Major Assaults Division is handling the investigation and has requested residents review any surveillance footage from the timeframe.
The Hiram Clarke neighborhood where the shooting occurred is typically quiet, with many longtime residents who know each other well. Neighbor Gerald Conkright expressed shock at the violence, telling reporters the area rarely sees such incidents. “I don’t understand why whatever happened,” Conkright said. “We don’t have that over here. It don’t work like that over here no more.” Other residents described the situation as leaving them with more questions than answers, particularly about what led the injured man to their peaceful street in the middle of the night. The mother of the two brothers called the situation a tragic escalation of a personal dispute with devastating consequences, as her family business rivalry turned into a violent confrontation that has left one son fighting for his life and another on the run from police.
The homeowner who shot Wade has not been charged, and investigators indicated the case will likely be presented to a grand jury to determine whether the shooting was justified under Texas self-defense laws. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident, including the events leading up to Wade’s initial injuries, to contact the Houston Police Department or Crime Stoppers. The investigation is focusing on piecing together the timeline of events from the initial hostage situation at the mother’s house through the street fight between the brothers and Wade’s subsequent desperate search for help. Security camera footage and doorbell videos from throughout the neighborhood are being collected as evidence to establish exactly what transpired during the early morning hours.
Wade remains hospitalized in critical condition while police continue their search for Kenneth Jolivet. The case represents a complex intersection of family violence, business disputes, and self-defense laws, with investigators working to determine appropriate charges for all parties involved. The next major development will likely come when the case is presented to the grand jury for review.
