(NEXSTAR/AP) – In Houston, a man has been charged with the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy after a prank in which the boy rang a home’s doorbell and ran away, as reported by CNN on Tuesday morning.
Leon Gonzalo Jr., 42, has been charged with murder, CNN reported, citing Harris County court records.
The boy had been ringing doorbells as a prank late Saturday evening, the Houston Police Department said in a statement.
This prank, known as “ding dong ditching,” involves running off before anyone in the home answers the door. According to CNN, which quoted the police, a witness stated that the boy was fleeing the scene when he was shot.
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.
Similar “ding dong ditch” pranks have previously resulted in fatalities. In 2023, a Southern California man was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder for killing three teenage boys by deliberately crashing into their car after they had rung his doorbell as a prank.
Additionally, in May, a man in Virginia was charged with second-degree murder for shooting an 18-year-old who had rung his doorbell while filming a TikTok video of the prank, as reported by the New York Times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
