Boy dies after being shot in door-knocking prank gone wrong
An 11-year-old Texas boy has died after being shot in the back when he allegedly attempted a door-knocking prank on a neighbor, police said.
The shooting unfolded around 10:55 p.m. on Saturday at a home in southeast Houston, Shay Awosiyan, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department, told ABC News.
The child, who police initially said was 10 years old, was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday, according to a statement released by police. The boy's name was being withheld by police pending an autopsy.
"Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away. A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound," Houston homicide detectives said.
One person detained for questioning had been released, but was detained again as a possible suspect in the shooting after police were notified around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday that the child had died, Sgt. Michael Cass of the Houston Police Department said at a news conference on Sunday.
Cass said it was unclear if the man being detained was the owner of the home where the deadly door-knocking prank occurred.
A search warrant was served on the home, and Cass said a significant amount of weapons were found inside the house.
"The possible suspect has been detained and interviewed but not yet formally charged," Cass said.
Cass said the victim, who lived about a block away, was running away from the house with at least two friends when a witness saw a man exit the home with what appeared to be a handgun and fire multiple rounds in their direction.
After being hit in the back, the victim ran about a block before collapsing in the street, Cass said.
The prank allegedly committed in Houston is similar to what's being dubbed the "Door Kicking Challenge," a national trend based on an old prank called "Ding Dong Ditch," in which groups of kids record videos of themselves kicking and banging on doors of homes and apartments before running away and then posting the videos on social media platforms such as TikTok.
In July, a 58-year-old Texas homeowner was arrested and charged with aggravated assault when he allegedly fired multiple rounds at a vehicle fleeing his home in Frisco after someone banged on the front door, according to a statement from the Frisco Police Department.
The driver of the car that was shot at around 10:50 p.m. on July 28 and two passengers contacted police to file a complaint, showing officers three bullet holes in the vehicle, according to police.
"However, during subsequent interviews, all admitted to ding, dong, ditching in a random neighborhood when they were confronted by a male with a firearm," the Frisco police said in a statement.
In June, police in Chandler, Arizona, released video footage of a group of juveniles committing the "Door Kicking Challenge,'' alleging the group pulled the prank on the same home at least 18 times, prompting the homeowner to move out.
"Let's be clear: These 'pranks' can have serious consequences and lead to charges such as criminal damage, disorderly conduct, or harassment," the Chandler Police Department said in a message to parents in the community. "Parents -- please take a moment to talk with your children. Know where they are, who they're with, and what they're doing."
Police in Fort Worth, Texas, posted a similar community message in May after receiving more than 20 complaints of young people committing the "Door Kicking Challenge."
"It can be mistaken as an attempted break-in, potentially prompting dangerous or defensive responses from homeowners," the Fort Worth Police Department said in a statement. "What may seem like a prank can result in very real trouble and/or danger."
