Houston, Texas, USA: An 11-year-old boy from Texas was tragically killed late Sunday, August 31, after a late-night prank ended in gunfire. The incident took place on Racine Street in Houston, where the child was playing the doorbell-ringing game “ding dong ditch” with a group of friends around 11 p.m. According to Houston police, the boy knocked on a door and ran off when shots were fired.
“Witnesses reported that the child had been ringing doorbells in the neighborhood and sprinting away. One bystander saw him running from a home just moments before he was struck by gunfire,” the Houston Police Department said in its statement.
The boy, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Despite doctors’ efforts, he later died of his injuries, Houston PD Lt. Amber Khan confirmed to KHOU 11.
Authorities initially detained one individual for questioning but later released them. Investigators have since obtained a search warrant as the probe continues.
The prank “ding dong ditch” involves knocking or ringing a doorbell and fleeing before the homeowner answers. Though often considered harmless mischief, it has sparked several violent confrontations in the U.S. In May, a Virginia homeowner allegedly shot and killed a high school athlete who was playing the same prank. Similarly, in July last year, a teenager in Maine was wounded when a homeowner opened fire during the stunt.
Houston police are urging anyone with information about Sunday’s shooting to reach out to the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 713-222-TIPS.
