A Houston man was charged with murder after allegedly shooting an 11-year-old boy who rang his doorbell and ran away during a prank, police said.
Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, is accused of killing Julian Guzman, who was shot in the back late Saturday night while playing “ding-dong-ditch” with friends, according to a Houston Police Department report. Guzman collapsed a block away and died Sunday. Houston Police Sgt. Michael Cass said a witness saw Leon run out of his house and open fire on the fleeing children. (RELATED: Chicago Man Shoots And Kills Eight-Year-Old Riding Scooter Because The Child Was Too Loud, Witnesses Say)
“A witness says someone ran out of that house and was shooting at the kids running down the street, and unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys who was 11 years old was shot in the back,” Cass said, according to KHOU11 News. “In my opinion, it does not look like any type of self-defense. It wasn’t close to the house.”
Police said Leon was detained Saturday night but released before charges were filed. After Guzman died Sunday, investigators secured a murder warrant, and Houston’s SWAT and Criminal Apprehension teams arrested Leon at his home Tuesday morning. Multiple rifles and handguns were seized during the raid, according to the outlet.
ARRESTED: Booking photo of Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a juvenile male, 11, in the 9700 block of Racine Street on Saturday (Aug. 30).
More info: https://t.co/pu9Dfdvcaf#HouNews pic.twitter.com/XW0bR36vUq
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) September 2, 2025
The case comes amid a wave of “door-kicking challenge” pranks trending on TikTok. In July, a Frisco, Texas, homeowner fired at a car after teens banged on his door, and in Chandler, Arizona, repeated incidents forced one resident to move, ABC News reported.
Neighbors said they were stunned an 11-year-old was killed over a prank.
“What harm could they have done? Playing with a doorbell? That’s the part that really kind of hurts the heart,” one neighbor told KHOU11 News. “For someone to shoot him in the back, they knew they were a kid. What’s the purpose of it?”
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said charges were filed in the 177th Criminal District Court.