A 10-year-old Texas boy was shot and critically injured 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 on Membrough Street in southeast Houston, Shay Awosiyan, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department, told ABC News on Sunday.
“A 10-year-old was apparently knocking on neighbors’ doors and running away when someone apparently fired shots,” Awosiyan said.
Awosiyan said one person was detained at the scene of the shooting and was being questioned, but no charges have been filed.
The injured child, who was out committing the prank with friends, was treated at the scene by the Houston Fire Department and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was in critical condition on Sunday afternoon, Awosiyan said.
The investigation continued on Sunday, but police released no additional details.
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 after someone banging on the front door in Frisco, Texas, 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.”
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