Houston Man To Face Murder Charge After He killed A Child during ‘ding-dong ditch’ game

A Houston man ixrntified as Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42 has been charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy who was playing a game of “ding-dong ditch.”

Leon was booked Tuesday in the Harris County jail in connection to Saturday’s deadly shooting, according to jail records. It’s not clear if he has obtained an attorney.

The child was identified Tuesday as Julian Guzman.

One juvenile witness told police that he and his cousin were “walking around knocking on the doors of some residences and running away,” according to a probable cause statement. The game is known as “ding-dong ditch.”

The witness said that after knocking on the door of a blue house, he heard a gunshot while running away. He said the man shot “once into the ground” and then “raised the pistol and shot once again in their direction,” hitting Julian, the probable cause states.

Julian collapsed, asking for help from the ground.

The witness described dragging his cousin to safety and screaming for help. A neighbor ran over to assist.

According to the probable cause, the witness said that he and Julian had attended a family birthday party in the area and decided to play ding-dong ditch because they were bored. The boys had played the prank on the same house several times.

The shooting was reported about an hour before midnight. Guzman, who was shot in the back, was pronounced dead Sunday at the hospital.

Leon was arrested at his home. Officers used a vehicle PA system to direct him out of the home for about 20 minutes before he exited, the probable cause states. It says that he did not speak to the police and requested an attorney.

His wife said that at the time of the shooting, they were home with their toddler daughter. Officers found about 20 firearms in the home, including several AR-style rifles, shotguns and pistols.