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Houston man charged with murder in shooting death of 11-year-old boy who was playing 'ding dong ditch'

Houston police respond to the shooting of an 11-year-old boy near the intersection of Mimbrough and Fidelity streets on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025.
ABC13
Houston police respond to the shooting of an 11-year-old boy near the intersection of Mimbrough and Fidelity streets on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025.

A 42-year-old Houston man was arrested early Tuesday and charged with murder in the weekend shooting death of an 11-year-old boy who was playing a prank by ringing on doorbells and running.
Harris County court records show Leon Gonzalo Jr. was charged with murder on Monday and arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The shooting occurred at about 11 p.m. Saturday in the 9700 block of Racine Street in East Houston, according to the Houston Police Department (HPD), which said its officers responded to a shooting call and learned that a boy had been shot after being involved in a game of "ding dong ditch." HPD identified the boy on Tuesday as Julian Guzman.
"Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away," HPD said wrote in a Sunday news release. "A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound."

The boy was transported to a hospital Saturday night and pronounced dead on Sunday, according to HPD.

Police initially detained one person at the scene of the shooting who was questioned and released, HPD said. An arrest was made about two days later.
A defense attorney for Gonzalo was not listed in online court records as of Tuesday morning.

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