Police charge Houston man with murder in connection with shooting of preteen in door-knocking prank

A Houston man was charged Tuesday with murder in connection with a prank this past weekend in which an 11-year-old knocked on the defendant's door, then ran away. 

The person charged has been identified as 42-year-old Leon Gonzalo Jr., according to court records obtained by CNN.

Gonzalo was booked and jailed Tuesday morning in the state's Harris County. His address matches the one at which someone fatally opened fire on the preteen, who reportedly was taking part in a TikTok trend known as “ding dong ditch.”

A police investigation found the preteen was ringing the doorbells of several homes in the area and running away.

The shooting did not seem to involve self-defense because it “wasn’t close to the house,” Houston police homicide Sgt. Michael Cass said, according to CNN affiliate KHOU.