HOUSTON (BN24) — An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in Houston after ringing a doorbell and running from a home late Saturday night, city officials said.
The child, whose name has not been released, was playing a game commonly known as “doorbell ditch,” in which participants ring doorbells and run away. According to a statement from the city of Houston, a witness reported that the boy had just rung the doorbell of a house and was running away when he was struck by gunfire.
The shooting happened shortly before midnight in the 9700 block of Racine Street. Responding officers found the child with a gunshot wound, and he was taken to a hospital. Medical staff pronounced him dead Sunday, officials said.
Police briefly detained a person for questioning but later released them. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.
Local NBC affiliate KPRC reported that multiple children had been participating in the prank, and the victim was initially hospitalized in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries.
“We shouldn’t have guns around kids, period. Because a bullet doesn’t have a name,” neighbor Theresa Jones told the station.
The case has drawn comparisons to other deadly incidents linked to doorbell pranks. In Virginia, an 18-year-old man was shot and killed earlier this year during a “ding-dong ditch” prank that was being recorded for TikTok. Authorities said the homeowner believed his residence was being broken into and was arrested.
In California, a 45-year-old man who chased down teenagers in a vehicle after they played a similar prank was sentenced in 2023 to life in prison after running over and killing three of them.
Officials in Houston emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information to come forward.
