(NEXSTAR/AP) – In Houston, a man is facing charges after allegedly shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who had been playing a doorbell-ringing prank and then running off.
Leon Gonzalo Jr., 42, was charged Monday with murder, according to the Houston Police Department.
The boy was participating in this prank late on Saturday night, as confirmed by the Houston Police Department. After being shot once, he was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead on Sunday, according to authorities.
Known as “ding dong ditching,” this prank involves ringing a doorbell and fleeing before the door is answered. A witness noted that the boy was running away from the residence when the shooting occurred, police stated.
Gonzalo was booked into the Harris County Jail. Police spokesperson Shay Awosiyan said that officers were still investigating.
There have been other tragic consequences from such pranks. Earlier, in 2023, a man in Southern California was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder. He deliberately crashed into a vehicle carrying three teenagers who had played the prank at his residence.
Additionally, in May, a man in Virginia was accused of second-degree murder for shooting an 18-year-old during a TikTok video capture of the same prank, as reported by the New York Times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
