A Texas man is facing murder charges after a ‘ding dong ditch” prank led to him shooting a young boy, reportedly doing so by aiming at the child’s back.
Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, is accused of shooting Julian Guzman, 11, after a “ding dong ditch” doorbell prank that the boy performed with his cousin over the weekend in East Houston. According to a report from local outlet KHOU, Guzman and his cousin were doing the “ding dong ditch” prank and reportedly were using social media to share their exploits, although that hasn’t been confirmed.
The boys knocked on Leon’s door and ran a total of three times, with the third time being when Leon lay in wait to fire off a warning shot before aiming at Guzman as he ran away. Leon, a military veteran, appeared in court on Wednesday (August 3) to hear charges. The community where Leon and Guzman lived is outraged at his actions, which his defense team attempted to frame as self-defense.
First gaining steam on social media apps such as TikTok, the “ding dong ditch” trend has been on the rise with teens and young people filming the acts in which someone knocks on a random home’s door, then runs off. In Black neighborhoods, the prank has a less-than-savory name that we will not use here.
Currently, Leon’s bail is set at $1 million.
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Photo: Getty
