A deadly shooting that claimed the life of an 11-year-old boy over the weekend started out as seemingly harmless fun between two young cousins who got bored at a family birthday party.
The night of Aug. 30 ended in tragedy when Julian Guzman was shot by 42-year-old Gonzalo Leon Jr. after ding, dong, ditching at the man's house in Houston. Guzman died on Aug. 31 and Leon was arrested and charged with his murder, the latest in a string of violent and sometimes deadly reactions to childlike pranks.
The boys were running away from Leon's house when he fired at them just before 11 p.m., according to a witness statement given by the victim's cousin revealed in a criminal complaint.
"And unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys who was 11 years old was shot in the back," Houston Police Department Sgt. Michael Cass told reporters.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare thinks it's likely the charge will be upgraded to capital murder, a spokesperson for his office, Rafael Lemaitre, told USA TODAY. In Texas, capital murder comes into play when aggravating factors are present, such as the victim being under 15 years old.
