An 11-year-old boy has died after playing a classic neighborhood prank with friends.
Leon Gonzalo, 42, from Texas, has been arrested after killing an 11-year-old boy who was out playing a prank with some friends on Saturday night (30 August).
The tragic incident took place in Houston, and occurred at around 11pm.
The group of youngsters were playing the infamous ‘ding dong ditch’ prank at the time, which resulted in Gonzalo being taken to Harris county jail early on Tuesday (September 2).
‘Ding dong ditch’ is an old childhood prank that involves ringing a stranger’s doorbell and running away.
It’s a prank that’s been pulled off for decades, and is supposed to be a little harmless fun.
But not for 11-year-old Julian Guzman, who was killed as a result.
Houston police officials have reported that the boy was shot from some distance, after Gonzalo came outside and opened fire.
Despite being transported to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead on Sunday (August 31).
Houston police sergeant, Michael Cass, told CNN that the shooting did not appear to be an act of self-defence, noting that the shooting ‘wasn’t close to the house.’
The Houston Police Department said in a statement: “Officers were told that Guzman was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away.
“A witness stated Guzman was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound.”
A witness recalled that ‘someone ran out of the house and was shooting at the kids running down the street.’
Sergeant Cass added: “Unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys, who was 11 years old, was shot in the back.”
But it’s not the only fatality that has occurred as a consequence of the prank.
There have been several deadly tragedies.
In 2023, a Californian man was convicted of murder, after intentionally ramming his car into a group of six teenagers who had rung his doorbell.
Three of them were killed during the attack.
And earlier this year, a man in Virginia was charged with second-degree murder, after he fatally shot a teenager who performed the doorbell prank, while filming it for TikTok, at his home around 3am.
The prank has resurfaced after becoming increasingly popular on TikTok.
Harris County District Attorney, Sean Teare, told CNN: “They were doing what 11-year-old boys do, just playing pranks on neighbors.
“Tragically, it cost him his life.”
The attorney added that as Guzman ran from the home, he had no weapons, and there wasn’t any indication that he stole anything.
