An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in Houston after a prank in which he rang the doorbell of a home and ran away, police said Sunday.
The boy had been ringing doorbells as a prank late Saturday evening, the Houston Police Department said in a statement. Commonly referred to as “ding dong ditching,” the prank involves fleeing before someone inside the home opens the door.
The boy, who has not yet been identified, died of his wounds Sunday, police said.
Police spokesperson Shay Awosiyan said that officers were still investigating and had not arrested anybody in connection with the boy’s death as of Sunday evening.
Other “ding dong ditch” pranks have turned deadly in the past. In 2023, a Southern California man was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder for killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they rang his doorbell as a prank.
And in May, a Virginia man was charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting an 18-year-old who had rung his doorbell while a filming a TikTok video of the prank, the New York Times reported.
A murder charge will likely be upgraded to capital murder for the man accused of fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy who had been playing "ding-dong-ditch" outside his east Houston home, according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare.
www.fox26houston.com
Houston 'Ding-dong-ditch' shooting suspect 'waited' for children to return; charges to be upgraded, D.A. says
A murder charge will likely turn to capital murder for the man accused of gunning down an 11-year-old boy. He was playing Ding Dong Ditch at the shooter's home.
The Brief
Prosecutors plan to charge a shooting suspect accused of killing an 11-year-old with capital murder.
Documents say 20 guns were seized from the suspect's home.
The state will request a $1 million bond.
HOUSTON - A murder charge will likely be upgraded to capital murder for the man accused of fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy who had been playing "ding-dong-ditch" outside his east Houston home, according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare.
Waiting in the dark
What they're saying:
Authorities say Gonzalo Leon Jr. was waiting by his home in the dark late Saturday night when 11-year-old Jullian Guzman and his cousin knocked on his door for the last time. The kids had knocked on the door multiple times, running away each time, and in their final attempt, investigators allege Leon opened fire, striking Guzman in the back as he ran.
Records say Guzman's cousin recalls seeing Leon come out from a gate by the house and step out to the street before he began shooting. They say Leon shot once at the ground before firing another shot at the boys.
"This was someone brutally murdering an 11-year-old simply because they were mad," said Teare. "We have a little boy who didn’t even have a chance to get his life going yet, struck down for nothing."
Guzman and his cousin ran about a block away before Guzman collapsed, according to records. They say his cousin tried to drag him to safety, but Guzman later died at the hospital.
20 guns seized
Dig deeper:
Records say investigators recovered more than 20 firearms from Leon’s home, including rifles, long guns and handguns. Teare says they believe a medium-caliber handgun was used in the shooting.
"He just shot him down in the street and went about his business," Teare said. "What you can never do is discharge your firearm out of anger, ever. When things like that happen, tragedies like this occur."
Leon was initially detained and released twice before his final arrest. He has not made a statement to investigators, officials said.
Records show Leon is a father himself, with a young child inside the home at the time of the shooting.
Was it simply a ding-dong-ditch?
Clarifying online chatter:
Teare also pushed back against online speculation that the incident was connected to a social media challenge that involves kids doing more egregious things to neighboring homes, like kicking doors, sometimes while masked and brandishing fake guns. Teare says that simply wasn't the case here, saying Guzman and his cousin were only ringing the doorbell and running away.
"Kids have been doing this for decades," said Teare.
What's next:
A bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Prosecutors said they will request a $1 million bond.
Suspect charged with murder in Houston 'ding dong ditch' shooting
A man has been charged with murder for the deadly shooting of an 11-year-old boy who police say was killed while playing "ding dong ditch" in Houston over the weekend.
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