Had someone fire a gun at myself and 2 friends for doing this when we were teenagers. No vandalism, no destruction, just knocking on the door (friend happened to bang particularly fast and hard while screaming "Satan Loves You") and hightailing it. I also live in the south, so guns a-blazin', I guess.

I've also been threatened with a gun and other acts of violence for dressing in all black and not believing in some bullshit god. Police have also been called on me for sitting in front of the mall in my trenchcoat while waiting on my ride as a teen. And I've had a cop train a gun on me while my friends and I were goofin' around in their backyard.

Too many nutjob AmeriKans with guns. If US authorities used the same firearm laws in Europe, over half of the potential gun owners would fail.

When little kids can't even play simple pranks in your country without being shot, your country has serious issues that desperately need addressing (but won't because the administration is so corrupt)

I can't imagine living my life so on edge or angry that the door bell ringing would make me shoot someone.

Cop speak is always so frustratingly literal. They refer to the victim as "the male". He's 11. call him a kid and have some empathy

Ding dong ditch used to be a staple of kiddie pranks... for fuck's sake! Do none of these idiots have any real threat assessment? Or are they so desperate to shoot someone that they just wanna blast some kid and say they feared for their lives?

Ah yes, superb firearm ownership; shooting at kids running away from you.

They have guns and the death penalty but somehow, they can't put together that one leads to the other. It's like the only thing that matters over there is the profit from selling the equipment.

I'm not saying anything whatsoever would warrant this, but were the kids at least, like, throwing eggs? Knocking the mailbox over? To fire a weapon at someone for ringing your bell is just so unhinged that how could he even make it that far?

Adults: "Kids never go outside and have fun anymore."
Also Adults: "If you step on my property I'll kill you."

Oh but gun control laws are not needed are they America? But an old irrelevant document from 150 years ago says otherwise so clearly the matter is closed.

Seems to be a common theme in Texas. Maybe this guy moved from Dallas to Houston.

"A child just rang my doorbell. Folks you do NOT ring doorbells in 2023. My 6 was loaded. Keep your kids away. -Chris"

i mean i've seen signs in austin, on the same lawn, that say "we don't call the police" with a picture of a gun and "ring my door and i'll shoot"

lovely, warm neighborhood...

wtf from the cops

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.”

Implying that if they rang the doorbell and waited (you know, the entire purpose of a doorbell), it could have been considered self-defense? I know, that’s a bit of logical fallacy but wtf

I can't imagine this happening in the Netherlands... Wtf...

The kid was shot in the back You know, cause he was running away and all.

It is wild to me that someone hears their doorbell and their instinct is to grab their gun. I cannot imagine losing your child this way. I know school and mass shootings are awful and kill many more children. The difference is the intent; on some level Americans are aware existing means we could be the victim of gun violence. We do not expect idiots to shoot at us with no intent to go on a killing spree and especially not at our children outside of schools.

I almost don't blame parents for not wanting to let their kids play outside anymore

What a shithole country. Total no-go zone.

I live just outside of Houston, and I've had kids play ding-dong ditch at my house, and honestly it's fucking creepy. It wouldn't bother me during the daytime, when people are around and there are often children playing on my street. But it only happens late at night, when my two little kids are in bed. I check outside and they're gone. My street is well-lit, but I never see them running away. There's a green space nearby that they must be running to, but there's nothing to hide behind there.

Anyway, it's creepy as fuck. I really hate it. If I caught the kid in the act, I'd probably get real serious at him and try to get him to stop. But I'd never point a gun at him. I hope he trips while he's running and busts up his teeth, but I don't want him to die.

The murderer here is completely unhinged.

"Why don't kids play anymore"

ahh yes.. time to pay the dead kid tax... we all feel safer though so its totalllly worth all the dead children, right?

Ooooo boy, prison loves them a child killer.

Why is this article not framed as if this was a crime? They never mentioned the shooter or his consequences. It's not illegal to ring a door bell.