HOUSTON (TNND) — A suspect has been charged with murder after an 11-year-old boy was shot in the back on Saturday while playing “ding dong ditch” in a Houston neighborhood.
Leon Gonzalo Jr., 42, was booked on Tuesday morning into the Harris County Jail, according to the Houston Police Department (HPD).
Police identified the boy as Julian Guzman after he died at an area hospital on Sunday.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded on Saturday at around 10:55 p.m. to a shooting call in the 9700 block of Racine Street and learned a male was shot and transported to an area hospital.
“Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away,” a statement read. “A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound.”
Members of HPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Detail and Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT) took Gonzalo into custody.
The boy was allegedly participating in the “door kicking challenge,” which has become a national trend of kids recording themselves kicking and banging on doors before running away and then posting the videos on social media.
