Houston doorbell-ringing prank shooter arrested, charged with murder

Julian Guzman and his friends were going around houses in their neighborhood banging on or kicking doors and running away, as a prank, late on Saturday when he was shot.

By: Express Web Desk
New Delhi | September 2, 2025 11:44 PM IST

2 min read

Julian Guzman. According to the police, the victim, along with at least two of his friends, was going around houses in their neighborhood banging on or kicking doors and running away, as a prank, late on Saturday

Leon Gonzalo Jr, was charged with one count of murder. (Photo: Houston Police)

Police in Houston, Texas, have charged a man with murder in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy who rang the doorbell of a home and ran away as a prank. The suspect, Leon Gonzalo Jr, was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston early Tuesday morning.

The 42-year-old was charged with one count of murder, according to police. Gonzalo is believed to be the same person detained by police in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s shooting. He was released after being questioned, but was detained again after the child was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday. Earlier, a warrant was served on the home, and a significant number of weapons were found inside the house.

Doorbell ringing prank gone wrong

The police also identified the victim on Tuesday as 11-year-old Julian Guzman. According to the police, the victim, along with at least two of his friends, was going around houses in their neighbourhood banging on or kicking doors and running away, as a prank, late on Saturday, when the fatal shooting happened. Guzman, who was shot in the back lived about a block from the home.

Commonly referred to as “ding dong ditching,” the prank involves fleeing before someone inside the home opens the door.

Officers were told that Guzman was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away. A witness stated Guzman was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound.

Similar incidents in the past

Other “ding dong ditch” pranks have turned deadly in the past. In 2023, a Southern California man was convicted of first-degree murder for killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they rang his doorbell as a prank.

In May, a Virginia man was charged with second-degree murder for shooting an 18-year-old who rang his doorbell while filming a TikTok video, the New York Times reported.

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