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**Houston Man Charged with Murder After Shooting 11-Year-Old Boy in “Ding Dong Ditch” Prank**

**Houston, TX** – A Houston man is facing a murder charge after allegedly shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who rang his doorbell and ran away as part of a “ding dong ditch” prank. Leon Gonzalo Jr., 42, was charged on Monday and taken into custody on Tuesday, according to the Houston Police Department.

The victim, Julian Guzman, was with a group of friends who approached Gonzalo’s home in the east area of Houston around 11 p.m. on Saturday. The group allegedly rang the doorbell and then fled, a prank known as “ding dong ditch.” Police say a witness reported seeing Guzman running from the house when he was shot. He was transported to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

“The person inside that house came out and shot at” the boy, resulting in “a couple of gunshot wounds,” Lt. Amber Khan of the Houston Police Department told CBS affiliate KHOU.

The “ding dong ditch” prank, popularized on platforms like TikTok, has been linked to other incidents with tragic outcomes. In May, a Virginia man was charged with second-degree murder after fatally shooting a teenager who was filming the prank. In 2020, a California man was sentenced to life in prison after crashing into a car of teenagers, killing three of them, after they played a similar prank on him.

Gonzalo is scheduled to appear in the 177th District Court in Harris County, Texas, on Tuesday.

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