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 was spending his Saturday night playing pranks by ringing doorbells, a prank commonly known as “ding dong ditching,” according to a Houston Police Department statement. This involves ringing the bell and then running away before the household can answer.
The boy, who has not yet been identified, died of his wounds Sunday, police said.
Police spokesperson Shay Awosiyan indicated that the investigation was ongoing, with no arrests made in relation to the boy’s death by Sunday evening.
There have been other tragic outcomes resulting from similar pranks. For instance, in 2023, a man from Southern California was found guilty of three first-degree murder charges after he deliberately hit a car with teenagers who had rung his doorbell as a prank.
In another case, a man in Virginia faced charges of second-degree murder in May for shooting an 18-year-old involved in a prank while recording a TikTok video, according to the New York Times.
Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that assigns journalists to local newsrooms to cover important but overlooked topics.
