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The young victim was reportedly recording the prank on his phone when he was shot, with police detailing what the footage shows while claiming the boy's cousin saw the suspect "slowly walk back" to his home as he screamed for help.
New details have emerged in the death of an 11-year-old boy who was playing "ding dong ditch" with his cousin when he was shot and killed.
On Tuesday, the Houston Police Department announced the murder charge for Gonzalo Leon Jr., 42, who is accused of killing Julian Guzman around 10:55 p.m. on August 30.
"Officers were told that Guzman was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away," said police, as TikTok videos of the classic prank have grown in popularity in recent years. "A witness stated Guzman was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound."
Leon made his first court appearance on Wednesday for a bail hearing, where he was ordered to be held on $1 million bond. Prosecutors claimed he was a flight risk, per ABC News, while the judge said the bond was set so high due to the possibility Leon could have more serious charges filed against him later, including capital murder.
Houston Police Sgt. Michael Cass also spoke with CBS News about the case on Wednesday, claiming Leon was "waiting in the shadows in his own side yard behind a fence" before he fired at the boys. According to police, Guzman and his cousin, 10, got "bored" at a family event and decided to play pranks on neighbors. They allegedly knocked on the suspect's door three times within a 15-minute span -- but Guzman was waiting for them on the third attempt.
Video was reportedly recovered from Guzman's phone, as the two were recording their prank.
"I unfortunately have had to watch countless recordings and surveillance of people in their last moments," Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said, per KHOU. "When you talk about an 11-year-old dying, where we hear it, that's gonna be just some of the most horrific evidence that I can imagine."
The video reportedly showed Guzman knocking on the door and running, before gunshots can be heard, followed by audio of the boy gasping. According to a criminal complain, the cousin said after the first gunshot he looked back at the home and "saw a person, who he described as wearing all black, extend his arm and shoot one more time."
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View StoryThe cousin also claimed Guzman was "asking for help, believing his legs were paralyzed" after being shot -- and, as the young witness screamed for help, he said he saw the shooter "slowly walk back" to the house. "I didn't know what to do, but I wish I could have done more," the cousin is quoted as telling family.
During the hearing, however, Leon's attorney reportedly suggested the boy's death was a "tragic accident."
In a previous press conference over the weekend, via ABC News, Cass said the boy was shot in the back. "Our witness says the suspect came out of the door, ran out into the street and was firing down the road," he added, saying the victim ran for about a block before he collapsed in the street. The boy reportedly lived about a block from the home.
"In my opinion, it doesn't look like any type of self-defense," said Cass, who said the shooting "wasn't close to the house."
Leon was later identified as the suspect, before he was charged with first-degree murder on Monday and taken into custody by SWAT at a nearby hotel -- with his attorney saying they went to the hotel due to media attention around the home.
