Neighbor charged with murder after boy, 11, was shot and killed during 'ding dong ditch' prank
A man from Texas has been charged with murder after an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in Houston after the viral ‘ding dong ditch’ prank went terribly wrong.
The game involves ringing a doorbell to a random individual's house and running away before somebody answers the door.
11-year-old Julian Guzman decided to play the prank last Saturday (August 30) in Houston at around 10:55pm local time near Mimbrough and Fidelity streets in the city.
A witness told KHOU 11 that someone chased the child down the street with a weapon before firing rounds at the 11-year-old.
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Houston Police Department confirmed the boy was pronounced dead on Sunday (August 31) by doctors as their investigation continues.
They said in a new release: "Houston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a juvenile male in the 9700 block of Racine Street about 10:55 p.m. on Saturday (Aug. 30).
"The identity of the deceased male, 11, is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences."
Gonzalo Leon has since been charged with murdering the 11-year-old after being arrested on Tuesday (September 2), according to the Houston Police Department.
Leon was arrested two days after the shooting, with Sgt. Michael Cass suggesting evidence does not support a potential self-defense claim.
He told KHOU: "In my opinion, it does not look like any type of self-defense. It wasn’t close to the house, so it’ll more than likely be a murder charge."
After being called to the incident last weekend, HPD Homicide Division Sergeant M. Cass and Detective J. Brown reported: "HPD patrol officers responded to a shooting call at the above address and learned a male was shot and had been transported to an area hospital. Doctors pronounced him deceased today (Aug. 31).
"Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away. A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound."
KHOU spoke to neighbors in the area, who were understandably left shocked by events to have taken place in the past few days.
"What harm could they have done? Playing with a doorbell? That’s the part that really kind of hurts the heart," one told the outlet. "For someone to shoot him in the back, they knew they were a kid. What’s the purpose of it?"
It's unclear at this time whether Leon has entered a plea, while any attorney details are not readily available.
Callum Jones