A Texas man has been charged with the murder of an 11-year-old boy who was shot and killed after a “ding-dong-ditch” prank.
According to the Houston Police Department, Gonzalo Leon was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and charged with murdering 11-year-old Julian Guzman.
Police said Guzman was fatally shot on Sunday, Aug. 31, after ringing doorbells in the neighborhood and running away.
Around 10:55 p.m., Guzman was struck by a gunshot while running, according to a witness statement shared by police.
Leon was later identified as a suspect and taken into custody two days after the shooting.
KHOU spoke with police Sgt. Michael Cass, who explained that the evidence doesn’t appear to support a self-defense claim.
“In my opinion, it does not look like any type of self-defense,” Cass told the outlet. “It wasn’t close to the house, so it’ll more than likely be a murder charge.”
Neighbors told KHOU they were shocked by the incident.
“What harm could they have done? Playing with a doorbell? That’s the part that really kind of hurts the heart,” one neighbor said. “For someone to shoot him in the back, they knew they were a kid. What’s the purpose of it?”
It is not yet clear if Leon has entered a plea or hired an attorney.
