TX - 10-year old boy dies after being shot by homeowner for playing prank - Houston, Aug 2025

[cenazoic]

I think with all of the security cameras in place today,

I think (assuming the shooter had one) all the security cameras should’ve shown him that it was a kid being an annoying doofus, but a kid all the same.

 

[chesterfieldkings]

I don’t think even Racehorse Haynes could get this off the hook and he got Cullen Davis off.
MOHO

 

[DS2021]

Houston 'ding-dong-ditch' shooting suspect 'waited' for children to return; charges to be upgraded, D.A. says

A murder charge will likely be upgraded to capital murder for the man accused of fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy who had been playing "ding-dong-ditch" outside his east Houston home, according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare.

www.fox26houston.com

HOUSTON - A murder charge will likely be upgraded to capital murder for the man accused of fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy who had been playing "ding-dong-ditch" outside his east Houston home, according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare.


What they're saying:
Authorities say Gonzalo Leon Jr. was waiting by his home in the dark late Saturday night when 11-year-old Jullian Guzman and his cousin knocked on his door for the last time. The kids had knocked on the door multiple times, running away each time, and in their final attempt, investigators allege Leon opened fire, striking Guzman in the back as he ran.

Records say Guzman's cousin recalls seeing Leon come out from a gate by the house and step out to the street before he began shooting. They say Leon shot once at the ground before firing another shot at the boys.

 

[OldCop]

Ding, Dong, Ditch is a silly game, played by thousands of kids, mostly adolescent boys, for decades. It’s generally harmless, but often annoying to the victim. When this became popular, we lived in a very different society. People weren’t so angry and on edge. The crime rate was much lower. People weren’t generally afraid if their doorbell rang. Most people didn’t have weapons at home.
No child should be shot in the back for ringing a doorbell. Ever. However, parents need to teach their children that they don’t know what is going on behind closed doors. Is it gentle Mr Garcia who gets a chuckle out of the antics of the neighborhood kids, or is it Mr Smith who is caring for a sick or elderly family member and is tired and grouchy and has just had enough? Is it Mr Jones the local dealer who is protecting his stash? Is it a gang member who feels he is being disrespected or being challenged by a rival?
When a child rings that doorbell, he or she is doing it for the thrill, the excitement, the exhilaration. He just doesn’t know what is on the other side of that door.

 

[Cryptic]

for what it's worth I don't think race played a factor here. Brown victim, brown perp.

I fundamentally agree.

As a side note, however, Hispanic identity can be complex. Hispanics range from foreign born / first generation to multi generational, and in come cases, multi century citizens.

All that aside, not all brown people view themselves as part of an all encompassing brown category. Rather, the two broad categories (short term / long term) can have little in common with each and would necessarily view themselves as ethnically the same.

Though I don't think it played a factor, one picture of the victim shows him wearing jewelry of a style (St. Jude Tadeo) that is associated far more with recent immigrants than with multi generational / century Hispanic Texans. Meanwhile, the perpetrator is a "junior"- a naming term not normally used in hispanic culture and possibly indicates a long presence in the US.

 

[Cryptic]

Given how late at night it was I don't think it would have been possible for the homeowner to know the child's race.

Some racists are willing to act on educated guesses, and would not need exact knowledge.
For example:

Saw the birthday party down the street, noted the race of the guests. Knows that serial ding dong ditching started with the party. Then makes an educated guess that the prankers are race "X".

Likewise, race can be an aggravating factor but not the sole motivator. Say, angered by serial pranking, but educated guesses about their race lead to a perpetrator becoming enraged.

 

[CuriousCricket]

Ding, Dong, Ditch is a silly game, played by thousands of kids, mostly adolescent boys, for decades. It’s generally harmless, but often annoying to the victim. When this became popular, we lived in a very different society. People weren’t so angry and on edge. The crime rate was much lower. People weren’t generally afraid if their doorbell rang. Most people didn’t have weapons at home.
No child should be shot in the back for ringing a doorbell. Ever. However, parents need to teach their children that they don’t know what is going on behind closed doors. Is it gentle Mr Garcia who gets a chuckle out of the antics of the neighborhood kids, or is it Mr Smith who is caring for a sick or elderly family member and is tired and grouchy and has just had enough? Is it Mr Jones the local dealer who is protecting his stash? Is it a gang member who feels he is being disrespected or being challenged by a rival?
When a child rings that doorbell, he or she is doing it for the thrill, the excitement, the exhilaration. He just doesn’t know what is on the other side of that door.

Great post. We need to train our children and even then, there's no way of knowing what they'll get up to when they out with other children.

Also, do we know anything about this neighborhood? Was gang activity common?

The shooter had a wife and child in the house. Perhaps the family inside the house was scared. Perhaps they thought the multiple ringings was a prelude to something more.

Since he had numerous guns, it would be my guess he was practiced in using them. However, we can't know his proficency nor intent. Reports indicate he shot into the ground once, then shot and hit the child. Perhaps he was shooting in the general area, hoping to scare them away. Naturally, he is responsible for where his bullets went - always. But my aim was so bad last time I went to the range, I could never claim to intend harm. From my performance, it would be sheer accident if I hit someone. I'd be firing for effect -- hoping to scare someone enough they'd run away.

I doubt ability was the case with the young man, owner of several guns. Though, perhaps he was just firing in the general direction, without taking aim, and for effect, planning to scare them enough they'd leave him alone. Scare them enough they wouldn't enjoy the game anymore.

 

[Jo in Calif]

HOUSTON - Bond was set at $1 million for a Houston man accused of shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who was playing ding dong ditch over the weekend.





Gonzalo Leon Jr. is charged with murder in the deadly shooting of Julian Gomez.

$1M bond for murder suspect charged in Houston 'ding dong ditch' shooting

Bond was set at $1 million for a Houston man accused of shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who was playing ding dong ditch over the weekend.

www.fox26houston.com

 

[Cryptic]

Perhaps he was shooting in the general area, hoping to scare them away. Naturally, he is responsible for where his bullets went - always.

One article stated that the victim was hit with multiple bullets. If so, this could detract from a "trying to scare them" type defense.

 

[Jo in Calif]

"This was someone brutally murdering an 11-year-old simply because they were mad," said Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare. "We have a little boy who didn’t even have a chance to get his life going yet, struck down for nothing."


"He just shot him down in the street and went about his business," Teare said. "What you can never do is discharge your firearm out of anger, ever. When things like that happen, tragedies like this occur."

$1M bond for murder suspect charged in Houston 'ding dong ditch' shooting

Bond was set at $1 million for a Houston man accused of shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy who was playing ding dong ditch over the weekend.

www.fox26houston.com

 

[tlcya]

Great post. We need to train our children and even then, there's no way of knowing what they'll get up to when they out with other children.

Also, do we know anything about this neighborhood? Was gang activity common?

The shooter had a wife and child in the house. Perhaps the family inside the house was scared. Perhaps they thought the multiple ringings was a prelude to something more.

Since he had numerous guns, it would be my guess he was practiced in using them. However, we can't know his proficency nor intent. Reports indicate he shot into the ground once, then shot and hit the child. Perhaps he was shooting in the general area, hoping to scare them away. Naturally, he is responsible for where his bullets went - always. But my aim was so bad last time I went to the range, I could never claim to intend harm. From my performance, it would be sheer accident if I hit someone. I'd be firing for effect -- hoping to scare someone enough they'd run away.

I doubt ability was the case with the young man, owner of several guns. Though, perhaps he was just firing in the general direction, without taking aim, and for effect, planning to scare them enough they'd leave him alone. Scare them enough they wouldn't enjoy the game anymore.

I was taught you never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot. Period.

MOO he was not afraid. He was annoyed. Big difference. He laid in wait. He shot a child in the back as that child ran. There is absolutely no way to frame this as a fearful resident protecting his home or his family. Just my own very strong opinion.

We don't scare children with firearms. MOO he was waiting for an opportunity to fire upon someone with one of his many weapons and a child unknowingly gave it to him with fatal results.

I do agree with others who have pointed out that times are very different. Unfortunately, we do need to impress upon children that unstable individuals have weapons in our society and what seems like a harmless prank can trigger one of them to take your life.

 

[tara83]

Great post. We need to train our children and even then, there's no way of knowing what they'll get up to when they out with other children.

Also, do we know anything about this neighborhood? Was gang activity common?

The shooter had a wife and child in the house. Perhaps the family inside the house was scared. Perhaps they thought the multiple ringings was a prelude to something more.

Since he had numerous guns, it would be my guess he was practiced in using them. However, we can't know his proficency nor intent. Reports indicate he shot into the ground once, then shot and hit the child. Perhaps he was shooting in the general area, hoping to scare them away. Naturally, he is responsible for where his bullets went - always. But my aim was so bad last time I went to the range, I could never claim to intend harm. From my performance, it would be sheer accident if I hit someone. I'd be firing for effect -- hoping to scare someone enough they'd run away.

I doubt ability was the case with the young man, owner of several guns. Though, perhaps he was just firing in the general direction, without taking aim, and for effect, planning to scare them enough they'd leave him alone. Scare them enough they wouldn't enjoy the game anymore.

If you are scared you stay inside and call police. Not run outside and fire a gun like a maniac.

 

[OldCop]

If you are scared you stay inside and call police. Not run outside and fire a gun like a maniac.

This is true. I think the point both myself and @CuriousCricket were trying to make is that the youngsters can’t assume what type of reaction they may get to their prank. In this case a young boy was killed. The adult in this case was absolutely wrong. Period
Parents need to teach their children to think about the consequences of their actions. We aren’t able to anticipate any given person’s reaction to any scenario. But we are able to teach our children to assess a given situation before they act.

 

[MAHBOOBOO]

Also, do we know anything about this neighborhood? Was gang activity common?

I don't know about gang activity, though I wouldn't be surprised.

What I do know is that when I'm over there I worry about being carjacked, attacked by pit bulls or having my truck stolen. I guarantee my F150 would be stolen if I parked it there overnight, and truck theft is usually handled by the gangs that work for cartels. It also always smells like sour tortillas over there, which I oddly find endearing. MOO

And there's usually a houseless person or two about a mile away from where the shooting happened.

 

[arielilane]

https://x.com/JMilesKHOU
I was in court this morning when a judge set Gonzalo Leon’s bond at $1 million. He’s accused of gunning down 11-year-old Julian Guzman during a game of “ding dong ditch.” More from prosecutors and Leon’s attorney later on @KHOU.
Get caught up: https://khou.com/mobile/article/news/crime/ding-dong-ditch-shooting-houston-texas/285-f85bfeab-14f3-4048-9de5-3360baa255e6

https://twitter.com/x/status/1963304271253799126

 

[tlcya]

If Leon is released, bond conditions include no contact with Guzman’s family and no firearms in his home.

Prosecutors also said charges could potentially be upgraded to capital murder as the investigation continues.
'I wish I could have done more': New details emerge after Houston 11-year-old killed playing ding dong ditch

next court date for those planning to follow is set for 10/21/25

 

[airportwoman]

I was taught you never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot. Period.

MOO he was not afraid. He was annoyed. Big difference. He laid in wait. He shot a child in the back as that child ran. There is absolutely no way to frame this as a fearful resident protecting his home or his family. Just my own very strong opinion.

We don't scare children with firearms. MOO he was waiting for an opportunity to fire upon someone with one of his many weapons and a child unknowingly gave it to him with fatal results.

I do agree with others who have pointed out that times are very different. Unfortunately, we do need to impress upon children that unstable individuals have weapons in our society and what seems like a harmless prank can trigger one of them to take your life.

Agreed, 100%.

 

[arielilane]

New details in the case were revealed in court records obtained by USA TODAY. They showed Leon fired more than once after the boys had knocked on his door multiple times. Here's what we know.

Suspect in ding-dong-ditch murder shot at boys running from his house. What we know.

New details emerged in the investigation of a shooting in Houston over the weekend that killed an 11-year-old boy playing a prank.

www.usatoday.com

Sept 3

 

[mickey2942]

I wonder if the police tested the perpetrator for alcohol? Would it have mattered? Probably not.

 

[arielilane]

Source: Houston PressTalking about this horrific tragedyAs a Board Member of Parents of Murdered Children our hearts go out to Julian’s family and his classmates Sadly, this is not an anomaly as other similar incidents have happened nationwide

https://twitter.com/x/status/1963678912157819309

“Over the weekend, an 11-year-old boy was brutally gunned down for simply doing what kids his age do,” Teare said. “This investigation is ongoing — but as the father of an 11-year-old myself, I cannot imagine the pain this family is enduring. Gun violence has no place in our community, and this crime will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Ding Dong Ditch” Shooter Will Be Prosecuted to the Fullest Extent of the Law, DA Says

Texans have the right to defend themselves and their property, but they don’t get to shoot a child in the back for playing a prank, victims’ advocates said this week.

www.houstonpress.com