Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in Houston during a doorbell prank.
- Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, was charged with murder after shooting Julián Guzman.
- Authorities warn about the dangers of the TikTok 'ding dong ditch' trend.
HOUSTON — An 11-year-old has died after he was shot while playing a doorbell-ditch prank in Houston, police said, the latest tragic example of a TikTok trend that authorities have been warning parents about in a case that could yield a murder charge.
Julián Guzman, 11, and his cousin were playing a game of "ding dong ditch" at a house down the street from their home just before 11 p.m. Saturday when a person inside the house came out and shot the boy, Houston police said.
The pair had successfully tricked other neighborhood residents when they came upon a house on Mimbrough Street. The two-story home towered over the cousins, but its spacious porch and windows far from the front door made it ideal for ding-dong-ditching.
Guzman reached for the doorbell, ready to run.
After ringing the bell, the boys took off, making it at least 20 feet away before the front door opened and two shots rang out — one hitting Guzman, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told CNN.
The preteen's death from his injuries at the hospital the next day made him the latest, and one of the youngest, victims of deadly violence incited by the doorbell prank that's been repopularized for a new generation by social media.
"They were doing what 11-year-old boys do, just playing pranks on neighbors," Teare said. "Tragically, it cost him his life."
As Guzman ran from the home, he had no weapons and there wasn't any indication that he stole anything, Teare said. Despite this, investigators believe the suspect fired his gun twice, once in an "intentional, measured way" that struck the boy.
Soon after the shooting, police shouted through a bullhorn in front of the home, demanding the person inside come out with their hands up, CNN affiliate KTRK reported.
When he emerged, Houston man Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, was detained by police, Teare said.
Leon was formally charged with Guzman's murder on Monday, the city of Houston announced Tuesday.
"Ding dong ditching" is an age-old prank that's risen in popularity in recent years as a social media challenge. TikTok videos often feature variations where pranksters pound on or kick people's front doors.
In a Dallas suburb at the end of July, a man fired shots into a fleeing car after someone banged on his door, according to police. The man was arrested on charges of aggravated assault.
In May, an 18-year-old high school senior in Virginia was shot and killed while filming a "ding dong ditch" to post on TikTok, The New York Times reported. The man accused of shooting the teen was charged with second-degree murder.
In 2020, three 16-year-olds were killed when a man rammed his car into their vehicle in retaliation for pulling a "ding dong ditch" prank on him. The man was convicted of three counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2023.
Authorities across the country have raised concerns about the door-knock challenge, warning of both the potential danger and legal consequences for those involved.
"Think it's funny to bang on doors and run? Think again," the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Indiana wrote in a Facebook post in August. "What might seem like a prank can lead to serious legal trouble, property damage, or worse – someone getting hurt."
"That's a good way to end up dead, especially in Florida," Sheriff Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office told CNN affiliate WESH in July after arresting a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy for kicking a resident's door one night.
The teens were captured on a doorbell camera creeping up to a family's home and kicking the door before running away, WESH reported. Authorities took two hours to find them.
"You're endangering your future with this TikTok challenge," Chitwood said. "You're going to be charged with a felony." The two teens were charged with burglary, according to WESH.
Texas self-defense laws
Often referred to as a "Castle Doctrine" or "Stand Your Ground" legislation, laws in Texas determine a person is justified in defending themselves, family and property if someone unlawfully enters or tries to enter private premises.
In Texas, people can use deadly force if they believe it's "immediately necessary" against another person's use of deadly force, or to prevent assault, robbery and certain other crimes.
Prosecutors firmly deny that this type of legislation is relevant to Leon's alleged actions Saturday night.
"The castle doctrine does not apply in any way, shape or form to an 11-year-old boy running down the street," Teare told CNN. "There was no threat to the individual that shot him."
Ongoing investigation
With a suspect in custody, Teare said investigators are "canvassing the entire neighborhood" for evidence to build a more comprehensive picture of the night.
Investigators are working to nail down which houses the boys visited before Leon's and how long Leon had been in the house before the boys got there, he said.
Police don't have anything that shows the incident "surveillance footage wise," Teare said.
But he said the investigation is ongoing.
