Court documents have revealed more information about a homeowner who was charged with murder after allegedly shooting 11-year-old Julian Guzman, who knocked on his house’s door and ran away.
Gonzalo Leon, 42, was charged with murder after being taken into custody by SWAT officials.
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The SWAT team reportedly called out to Leon with PA systems from vehicles outside. After roughly 20 minutes, Leon exited the house and was arrested.
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The shooting happened on Aug. 30 shortly before 11 p.m. near a residence in the 9700 block of Mimbrough Street in the Galena Park area.
According to Leon’s charging documents, he was in the home with his wife and toddler-age daughter at the time of the shooting.
Guzman’s cousin, who was with him during the incident, gave his version of events to investigators.
He said he and Guzman had attended a family member’s birthday party earlier in the night. He said he and Guzman were bored and decided to ring doorbells in the neighborhood and run away as a joke.
Guzman’s cousin said they knocked on Leon’s door “several times” and ran away. The last time they knocked, they saw a man, described as wearing all black, exit the home’s nearby gate armed with a pistol.
Standing near a stop sign next to the house, the man allegedly fired the pistol once into the ground, raised it, and fired it again, this time in the victim’s direction.
Guzman was hit by the second shot, and he fell to the ground, his cousin said. He cried out in pain, called for help and stated that he was unable to move. Guzman’s cousin said he “Army dragged” him, because he believed he was paralyzed. A neighbor rushed to help.
As this happened, Leon allegedly walked back into his home.
Authorities searched Leon’s home following the arrest and found around 20 guns, including at least four “AR-style” rifles, shotguns and pistols.
Tuesday, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said he believes Leon’s charge should be upgraded to capital murder.
“We believe that this is an intentional and knowing act; this wasn’t reckless behavior,” Teare said. “This was a direct shot to the back of an 11-year-old who was running away, hence the murder charge. And as we go forward on our way to what will be a grand jury presentation. There’s a real possibility that we upgrade this to capital murder based on the age of the victim.”