An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot after he and friends were wringing door bells and then running away in Houston Saturday night, authorities said.
The victim has not been publicly identified. A suspect, who also was not named by police, was detained for questioning on Sunday. Cops said they plan to formally file charges on Tuesday.
“A witness says someone ran out of that house and was shooting at the kids running down the street, and unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys who was 11 years old was shot in the back,” Houston police detective Michael Cass told local CBS affiliate KHOU.
The victim was part of a group of children who ding-dong-ditched several homes, police said. They were running away from one home when the man opened fire. The boy who was killed lived in the neighborhood, investigators said.
“In my opinion, it does not look like any type of self-defense. It wasn’t close to the house, so it’ll more than likely be a murder charge,” Cass told KHOU.
Officers found several rifles and handguns inside the suspect’s home when they searched it, the station reported.
Ding-dong-ditching pranks have turned deadly in several different states in recent years. Back in May, a Virginia man shot and killed an 18-year-old man who knocked on his door and filmed the prank for a TikTok video. Tyler Butler, 27, was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Michael Bosworth Jr.
With News Wire Services
