Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Man charged with murder in shooting of 11-year-old playing 'ding-dong ditch' in E. Houston: HPD
ABC 13 news ^ | September 2, 2025 | Chaz Miller, Miya Shay, and Jessica Willey

Posted on 09/03/2025 4:52:18 PM PDT by Morgana

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 42-year-old man is charged with murder after he allegedly shot an 11-year-old boy who was playing the "ding dong ditch" game with his friends Saturday night.

Gonzalo Leon Jr. is accused of fatally shooting 11-year-old Julian Guzman on Saturday night.

Court records show that Guzman, his cousin, and some other friends were at a relative's house on Racine Street attending a birthday party. The boys reportedly got bored and decided to play the "ding dong ditch" game around the neighborhood.

Guzman and his cousin were ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away, records state. A witness said Guzman had run to Leon's home, rang the doorbell several times, and began to run away.

Court records show that's when Leon allegedly walked out of his house, onto a public street, pointed a gun, and fired.

"There was no weapon displayed (by the boy)," Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said. "No theft of property, the young man was shot in the back, on a public street. It's a murder."

Julian was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday.

Leon was initially detained by police Saturday night. Records show he would not talk to the police and asked for a lawyer. Among several reasons that prosecutors could not immediately charge Leon was that the eyewitness did not identify him as the shooter.

"One of the initial issues is that we had a negative ID," Teare said. "But that's explained in any case where you just had a young man who just watched his cousin get gunned down, and show him 6 pictures to identify somebody."

(Excerpt) Read more at abc13.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: dingdongditch; frracists; frwhitesupremacy; gundisease; somelifeissacred
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 181-195 next last
To: Codeflier

I’m not an old man but I’m not 29 any longer. When I lived alone I had the doorbell ringers at 2 AM.

It is very loud and gets the adrenaline pumping, because these days nobody is quite sure what’s what.

He could have used a pellet gun or something non-lethal. What a wanker


81 posted on 09/03/2025 6:29:25 PM PDT by Freedom4US
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: rottndog

No I don’t think the kid should get the death penalty for a prank.

However I think the child put him self in a position where he could get himself shot and that is exactly what happened. Messing around with people’s homes late at night leads to no good, well he brought it on himself.


82 posted on 09/03/2025 6:29:58 PM PDT by Morgana ( “Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” — Alice Paul 🇺🇸 )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: tlozo

So, would you shoot them as they fled?


83 posted on 09/03/2025 6:31:13 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: Equine1952

A couple questions then: What is retreating? Is it when the assailant turns and runs away from you or something else? If not something else then how do you know the assailant isnt going for cover/concealment to continue the fight, going for help to escalate the fight or going for other weapons?


84 posted on 09/03/2025 6:31:17 PM PDT by 556x45
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Home invaders usually dont ring the doorbell. They rush up and kick/break the door in. They may try to impersonate police. Sometimes they have someone act like they are a deliveryman of some kind ringing the door, and then a bunch come running around once the door is open, but you dont get ups or fedex at 11pm. If its a food guy, you know you didnt order anything.


85 posted on 09/03/2025 6:31:41 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Getready

It is being reported that soon to be former home owner was not asleep, but behind a gate or fence waiting for the kids to return.

If that is accurate, it is premeditated, and in Texas that gets you a 6:00 in the evening date with a needle in Huntsville.


86 posted on 09/03/2025 6:33:52 PM PDT by Round Earther
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: ansel12

It was after hours okay? The sun was down. When I was a kid we never played this game after dark.

Think about it, it’s late, dark outside and this dude is chilling in his home when someone keeps banging on his door. That is the point to all of this. He had no idea what was going down.


87 posted on 09/03/2025 6:33:55 PM PDT by Morgana ( “Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” — Alice Paul 🇺🇸 )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Jamestown1630
So, would you shoot them as they fled?

Of course not, but both were stupid.

88 posted on 09/03/2025 6:34:04 PM PDT by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: MortMan

Actually you remind me of a point here. You want two doors on all external doors. You always want a locking metal storm door. Most dont have a deadbolt, but you can install one. Give yourself another layer of protection, another one that adds delay or makes them decide not to go after your place.


89 posted on 09/03/2025 6:35:08 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: ansel12

There are two types of gun owners - one that hopes to never shoot a person, and one that fantasizes about the day. This is the latter type.


90 posted on 09/03/2025 6:36:03 PM PDT by Codeflier (Don't worry....be happy )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man
Home invaders usually dont ring the doorbell. They rush up and kick/break the door in.

Kid didn't ring the doorbell, but was banging on the door. Its not clear whether it was knocking with a first or kicking the door.

91 posted on 09/03/2025 6:37:02 PM PDT by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: joshua c

I wonder what his BAC was at the time of the shooting.


92 posted on 09/03/2025 6:37:39 PM PDT by Clutch Martin ("The dawn cracks hard like a bull whip and it ain't taking no lip from the night before" Tom Waits)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

I agree with you. But for what I know at this point, this isn’t an offense that required lethal use of force.

Ding dong ditch isnt something that requires lethal use of force. I just don’t see how that can be justified. And to be clear I am only talking specifically about ding dong ditch: ringing a doorbell and running away. Anything more than this, isn’t ding dong ditch.


93 posted on 09/03/2025 6:39:43 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

“””””When I was a kid we never played this game after dark.”””””

You’re a girl, I doubt you did much of anything wild, especially after dark, although dark is when the game is played.


94 posted on 09/03/2025 6:41:00 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Codeflier
There are two types of gun owners - one that hopes to never shoot a person, and one that fantasizes about the day. This is the latter type.

I assume you have evidence for that assertion? Or is it merely opinion asserted as fact?

95 posted on 09/03/2025 6:41:01 PM PDT by MortMan (Charter member of AAAAA - American Association Against Alliteration Abuse)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 90 | View Replies]

To: Lurker

It’s not harmless to be sleep deprived especially if you have a job that requires you to be alert.


96 posted on 09/03/2025 6:42:41 PM PDT by DLfromthedesert (✡️✝️🔯)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Freedom4US

One thing that helps is installing an on/off switch on your chime circuit. So you can turn the doorbell off when you want.

If you have a modern smart doorbell, pretty sure you can change if/how it alerts you at certain times of the day.


97 posted on 09/03/2025 6:42:52 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: tlozo

Well see, thats technically not ding dong ditch, then.


98 posted on 09/03/2025 6:43:29 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: 38special

The old Zimmerman take is coming back I bet.


99 posted on 09/03/2025 6:44:04 PM PDT by Codeflier (Don't worry....be happy )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Gonzalo Leon Jr. is toast and he deserves to be.


100 posted on 09/03/2025 6:44:13 PM PDT by TigersEye (The Golden Age of MAGA is upon us!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 181-195 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson