A man has been charged with the murder of a young Texas boy who died after playing a door-knocking prank on his neighbor.
Leon Gonzalo Jr. faced murder charges on Tuesday morning, according to court documents examined by Daily Mail. He is slated to appear in court later the same day.
Gonzalo, 42, resides at the same Houston home where an 11-year-old boy was shot dead Saturday night while playing ding-dong-ditch with his friends.
The game involves knocking on someone’s door or ringing their doorbell and then disappearing before they open the door.
At some point during the children’s prank, however, a neighbor came out of one of the homes and started shooting at the children as they ran away.
The boy was struck in the back and transported to a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. He was then pronounced dead on Sunday afternoon.
Houston police homicide Sgt. Michael Cass has said the shooting does not appear to be self-defense because it ‘wasn’t close to the house’.
A neighbor has also claimed that she warned the children against playing the game because it could be ‘dangerous’.
Police in Houston said the the unidentified 11-year-old was playing ding-dong-ditch with his friends at 11pm on Saturday when the incident happened
The shooter, who handed himself over to authorities on Saturday night, was taken back to his residence early Sunday morning and was formally charged with murder on Tuesday.
Allison Gatz, a resident of the neighborhood where the tragic shooting took place, recounted her attempts to deter children who were playing pranks on her neighbors on Saturday afternoon.
Gatz explained, “I cautioned them against their actions, saying it was risky, and gave them two minutes to leave or I would alert the police,” as reported by KHOU. “They were aware they were in the wrong.”
Yet another neighbor echoed her claim, saying the boy was being irresponsible. ‘You just don’t go knocking on people’s doors,’ the local said.
The 11-year-old and his friends apparently did not heed Gatz’s warning as they were reportedly playing the game again later that evening.
At approximately 11 pm on Saturday, the boy knocked on the door of Gonzalo’s reported address on Racine Street and was shot while fleeing the premises.
Authorities used a bullhorn to encourage the alleged shooter to surrender, and he did so on Saturday night, exiting the house with his hands up.
Investigators seized several rifles and handguns while executing a search warrant at the property.
Shortly before 6am on Sunday, officers were seen dropping the suspect back off at his home. Gonzalo was charged and booked into jail Tuesday morning.
Police seized several rifles and handguns while executing a search warrant at the property
Authorities searched the neighborhood for evidence early Sunday morning
Texas law includes Castle Doctrine, which legally allows homeowners to use reasonable – even deadly – force to defend themselves, their families and homes from an intruder.
But legal experts do not suspect the suspect who shot the 11-year-old has a fair self-defense claim.
‘From what we know, it is difficult to imagine a homeowner reasonably believing children playing a centuries-old prank posed a legitimate threat,’ criminal defense attorney and legal analyst Carmen Roe told the newspaper.
Officers are continuing to review surveillance footage from Saturday night as they move forward with their investigation.
Locals, however, remain shocked by the deadly shooting.
‘What harm could they have done? Playing with a doorbell? That’s the part that really kind of hurts the heart,’ one local told KHOU. ‘For someone to shoot him in the back, they knew they were a kid. What’s the purpose of it.’
Another resident called the shooting ‘really sad’ as she argued that guns should not be around children, noting ‘a bullet doesn’t have a name.’
As a result of the shooting, Sgt. Cass has warned parents to ‘just be more cautious of the times we’re living in now.’
