Houston boy shot and killed playing prank
The man who has been charged in the deadly shooting of an 11-year-old in Houston, Texas, after the boy played a "ding-dong ditch" prank on his home was "waiting in the shadows," police said.
Houston Police Sgt. Michael Cass, the lead detective on the case, told CBS News the suspect was "waiting in the shadows in his own side yard behind a fence" after the boy and his cousin knocked on his door Saturday night and ran away.
The boy, identified by police as Julian Guzman, was attending a family gathering about a block away in the east Houston neighborhood, and after getting bored, decided to go with his 10-year-old cousin and play ding-dong ditch, in which pranksters ring the doorbell or knock on the door of a home and then run away. Police said the two cousins had knocked three times on the suspect's door within a span of about 15 minutes.
On the third knock, the cousins ran as fast as they could, but the homeowner was waiting behind the fence in his yard. Guzman was recording the incident on his phone, police said, showing himself knocking and running. Shots are heard on the video, police said, and there is audio of the boy gasping.
A makeshift memorial for 11-year-old Julian Guzman, who was shot and killed during a "ding-dong ditch" prank, is shown Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Houston.
David J. Phillip / AP
Guzman's cousin told police he didn't know what to do, only what he had seen in movies, so he tried to pick him up.
The boys appeared as children, "not threatening in any way," Cass said.
Guzman was wounded when police arrived at the scene and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday, police said.
Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, has been charged with murder and booked into the Harris County jail, according to online records. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Police said Leon is a former Army veteran who was deployed and spent time in the reserves. A handgun, 20 other guns and tactical and smoke grenades were found during a search of his home, they said.
"Looked like he may have been a collector of firearms," Cass said.
Police said they found Leon at a hotel in La Porte, Texas, with a packed car. The hotel was booked for three days, Cass said.
Emily Mae Czachor contributed to this report.
Karen Hua is a CBS News national reporter based in Houston.
