A 42-year-old Texas man is facing a murder charge in the shooting of an 11-year-old boy after the victim and his friends banged on the suspect’s door late Saturday night in what police described as a “ding-dong-ditch” prank that has been trending on TikTok and other social media platforms, authorities said.
The suspect, Leon Gonzalo Jr., was arrested and booked at the Harris County Jail on Tuesday morning, charged with one count of murder, according to Harris County court records.
The shooting unfolded around 10:55 p.m. on Saturday at a home in southeast Houston, according to the Houston Police Department.
The child, who police initially said was 10 years old, was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday afternoon, according to a statement released by police. The boy’s name was being withheld by police pending an autopsy.
“Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away. A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound,” Houston homicide detectives said.
Homicide detectives search for evidence, Sept. 1, 2025, outside a Houston home where an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot after playing a door-knocking prank on a neighbor.
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It remained unclear if Gonzalo is the owner of the home where the door-kicking prank occurred, or whether he just lived there.
The prank allegedly committed in Houston is similar to what’s being dubbed the “door-kicking challenge,” a national trend based on an old prank called “ding dong ditch,” in which groups of kids record videos of themselves kicking and banging on doors of homes and apartments before running away and then posting the videos on social media platforms such as TikTok.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
