"If the kid was ringing and running, and the homeowner with the gun saw him face to face that would mean he was waiting for him to show up. It is possible that as soon as the bell was rung the homeowner threw open the door and shot the kid as he was turning to run away."
Many on here are taking the homeowner's word that he was asleep when he heard a knock, got out of bed, got his gun and then went to the door, and the kid was still there during all that time. I don't believe it. Why would they all of a sudden decide to not run at that house? They weren't wearing masks (or it would have been mentioned/found out) so what's the point of staying there to be witnessed? Ask the survivor: How many seconds after the knock was the door opened?
I do believe the homeowner was just inside the door with his gun ready when your friend got there. The homeowner could be plain mean and/or in a bad mood, so that when he noticed kids going around the neighborhood he could have decided to put an end to their fun. Drugs or alcohol could have played a part and impaired his judgement, made him paranoid, angry, etc. Notice how it mentions his eyes being red:
A shirtless and red-eyed Levin answered the door to his neatly landscaped home Saturday morning, but said only, "I can't talk to you," in response to a reporter's questions.
Your eyes are not red after being woken up after a couple hours of sleep? Drugs are not the only thing that make your eyes red.......
Do you really think the cops would have let him walk if he was obviously drunk or on drugs when he shot the kid?
Its a popular game among teens where someone goes up to the door and knocks or rings the doorbell and when the door is opening runs away.