*A senseless tragedy unfolded in Houston’s Eastside on Saturday night when an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot while playing “ding-dong ditch,” a prank where children ring doorbells and flee.
The boy was struck multiple times as he ran from the house, The Guardian reports. According to NBC News, Houston police have arrested 42-year-old Leon Gonzalo Jr., a resident of the home, and recovered several weapons from the property. According to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, the boy was part of a group of children ringing doorbells in the neighborhood and running away.
“Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away. A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound,” the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release
Houston homicide detective Michael Cass told CBS News affiliate KHOU, “Unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys, who was 11 years old, was shot in the back.”
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Witnesses reported seeing a man, later identified as Gonzalo, being led in handcuffs out of a police vehicle to the home where the shooting occurred. He was booked into the Harris County jail on Tuesday, according to NBC News. The boy’s identity has been disclosed. He was pronounced dead on Sunday at the hospital.
As The Guardian reports, the game of “ding-dong ditch” has led to fatal consequences in the past. In 2023, a California man was convicted of murder after deliberately ramming his car into a group of teens who pranked his doorbell, killing three. Similarly, in May, a Virginia man faced second-degree murder charges for shooting a teenager who filmed a TikTok video while playing the prank at 3 a.m.
These incidents highlight the dangerous risks associated with the seemingly harmless game.
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