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11-year-old fatally shot after ‘ding dong ditching’ in Houston, police say

By CNN

Published September 1, 2025 12:51 pm

CNN, ONSCENE, KHOU

By Karina Tsui, Danya Gainor, CNN

(CNN) — An 11-year-old has died after he was shot while playing a doorbell ditch prank in Houston, police said, the latest tragic example of a TikTok trend authorities have been warning parents about in a case that could yield a murder charge.

The boy and his friends were playing a game of “ding dong ditch” at a house down the street from their homes just before 11 p.m. Saturday when a person inside the house came out and shot the boy, Houston police said.

A witness said the boy was running from the house on Racine Street after ringing the doorbell when he was shot, police said.

The boy was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead on Sunday, according to police.

Authorities used a bullhorn outside the home Saturday night to urge the person inside to come out with their hands up, CNN affiliate KTRK reported. Police detained one person for questioning.

Officers brought a person back to the home in handcuffs shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, according to KTRK. Authorities said the person was detained again Sunday night but was not formally charged, KTRK reported.

Houston Police are still actively investigating, the department told CNN Monday.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video and working with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office on possible charges, KHOU reported.

“It’ll more than likely be a murder charge,” Sgt. Michael Cass, a homicide detective with the Houston Police Department, told KHOU, noting the boy’s death does not appear to involve self-defense because the shooting “wasn’t close to the house.”

George Skinner, a resident of the neighborhood, told CNN affiliate KPRC the tragedy hit close to home for him because he has a 10-year-old grandchild and other young family members who often play in the area.

The 70-year-old said he has lived in the neighborhood most of his life and has never seen anything like this happen before.

“Me and couple of my neighbors, we just were real sad that something like that actually happened to a child, you know?” he said. “Ten years old, you got a long ways to go.”

“Ding dong ditching” is an age-old prank that’s risen in popularity in recent years as a social media challenge. TikTok videos often feature variations where pranksters pound on or kick people’s front doors.

In a Dallas suburb at the end of July, a man fired shots into a fleeing car after someone banged on his door, according to police. The man was arrested on charges of aggravated assault.

In May, an 18-year-old high school senior in Virginia was shot and killed while filming a “ding dong ditch” to post on TikTok, The New York Times reported. The man accused of shooting the teen was charged with second-degree murder.

In 2020, three 16-year-olds were killed when a man rammed his car into their vehicle in retaliation for pulling a “ding dong ditch” prank on him. The man was convicted of three counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2023.

Authorities across the country have raised concerns about the door knock challenge, warning of both the potential danger and legal consequences for those involved.

“Think it’s funny to bang on doors and run? Think again,” the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana wrote in a Facebook post in August. “What might seem like a prank can lead to serious legal trouble, property damage, or worse – someone getting hurt.”

“That’s a good way to end up dead, especially in Florida,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office told CNN affiliate WESH in July after arresting a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy for kicking a resident’s door one night.

The teens were captured on a doorbell camera creeping up to a family’s home and kicking the door before running away, WESH reported. Authorities took two hours to find them.

“You’re endangering your future with this TikTok challenge,” Chitwood said. “You’re going to be charged with a felony.” The two teens were charged with burglary, according to WESH.

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.