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Boy, 11, Dies After Prank With Friends Goes Horribly Wrong
An 11-year-old boy has died after playing a classic neighborhood prank with cousins.
Julian Guzman, 11, died after playing a prank with cousins on Saturday night, August 30.
The tragic incident took place in Houston and occurred at around 11 p.m.
The group of youngsters was playing the infamous ‘ding dong ditch’ prank at the time, which is an old childhood prank that involves ringing a stranger’s doorbell and running away.
Gonzalo Leon Jr. is accused of fatally shooting the 11-year-old after the boy and his cousin knocked on his door and ran away.
Houston police officials have reported that Guzman was shot from some distance after Gonzalo came outside and opened fire.
Despite being transported to a nearby hospital, the child was pronounced dead on Sunday (August 31).
Houston police sergeant, Michael Cass, told CNN that the shooting did not appear to be an act of self-defence, noting that the incident ‘wasn’t close to the house.’
The Houston Police Department said in a statement: “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.”
A witness recounted that ‘someone ran out of the house and was shooting at the kids running down the street.’
Sergeant Cass added: “Unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys, who was 11 years old, was shot in the back.”
Tragically, this is not the only fatality that has occurred as a consequence of the prank.
There have been several deadly tragedies.
In 2023, a Californian man was convicted of murder after intentionally ramming his car into a group of six teenagers who rang his doorbell.
Three of them were killed during the attack.
Earlier this year, a man in Virginia was charged with second-degree murder after he fatally shot a teenager who performed the doorbell prank, while filming it for TikTok, at his home around 3 a.m.
The prank has resurfaced after becoming increasingly popular on TikTok.
Harris County District Attorney, Sean Teare, told CNN: “They were doing what 11-year-old boys do, just playing pranks on neighbors.
“Tragically, it cost him his life.”
The attorney added that as Guzman ran from the home, he had no weapons, and there wasn’t any indication that he stole anything.
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