11-Year-Old Fatally Shot While Playing “Ding Dong Ditch” in Houston

HOUSTON, Sept. 2, 2025 - An 11-year-old boy was shot and killed Saturday night after participating in a doorbell-ringing prank, commonly known as “ding dong ditch,” in southeast Houston, police said.

Shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, the child and a group of friends rang the doorbell of a residence on Racine Street and fled. Witnesses told officers that a 42-year-old man, later identified as Leon Gonzalo Jr., emerged from the home and fired two to three shots at the fleeing children, striking the victim in the back as he ran down the street.

Emergency responders rushed the boy to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead early Sunday, according to the Houston Police Department. Authorities later executed a search warrant at Gonzalo’s home and found a “significant number of firearms,” police said.

Gonzalo was arrested Tuesday morning and booked into the Harris County jail on a murder charge. Police homicide Detective Sgt. Michael Cass indicated that the shooting did not meet the legal threshold for self-defense, as the child was already at a distance from the house when he was struck.

“Unfortunately, this was not a close-quarters threat to the home,” Cass said, adding that investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and coordinating with the district attorney’s office to pursue charges.

Neighbors described a tight-knit, quiet community where such violence is almost unheard of. “We’ve lived here decades, and we’ve never had anything like this happen to a child,” said resident George Skinner, whose own grandchildren play in the neighborhood.

Social media challenges encouraging door-knocking and fleeing have proliferated on platforms like TikTok, prompting law enforcement agencies nationwide to warn of the potential dangers. Similar pranks have turned deadly in recent years, including an incident in Virginia this spring in which an 18-year-old was shot while filming a “ding dong ditch” video.

Authorities urge parents to educate children on the risks of prank challenges-and caution homeowners to consider nonlethal responses when startled by late-night disturbances. The Houston Police Department continues to investigate the case.