HOUSTON – New details are emerging about the army veteran who is accused of shooting an 11-year-old to death while playing ding-dong ditch near his home in East Houston on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Two days after the deadly shooting, on Sept. 1, 42-year-old Gonzalo Leon was charged with murder in connection with the death of 11-year-old Julian Guzman.
On Wednesday, during a bond hearing, a judge set Leon’s bond at $1 million. Prosecutors argued for the bond amount, saying the allegations involve “someone intentionally killing an 11-year-old for knocking on their door.”
“I think that a very high bond is warranted if the allegations involve someone intentionally killing an 11-year-old for knocking on their door,” a Harris County Assistant District Attorney said.
What happened?
On Saturday, Aug. 30, investigators said witnesses told them the 11-year-old was seen running from a house after ringing the doorbell, “just prior to suffering a gunshot wound.”
Investigators said Guzman and his cousins were playing “ding-dong ditch” at homes located in the 9700 block of Mimbrough.
Guzman’s cousin said they knocked on Leon’s door “several times” and ran away. The last time they knocked, they said 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.
On the day of the shooting, KPRC 2 reported that Leon had been detained by officers and questioned, but was subsequently released.
Days later, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office was consulted by detectives, and murder charges were filed and accepted.
“We believe that this is an intentional and knowing act; this wasn’t reckless behavior,” District Attorney Sean Teare said. “This was a direct shot to the back of an 11-year-old who was running away, hence the murder charge.”
Authorities said investigators recovered more than 20 firearms from Leon’s home, including AR-style rifles, shotguns, and pistols.
Suspect’s Background
On Wednesday, we learned more about Leon, the suspect. According to the U.S. Army spokesperson, Leon was an was an 11B (Infantryman) in the Regular Army from August 2013 to December 2016, and in the Texas National Guard from December 2016 to May 2021. He deployed to Afghanistan from November 2014 to April 2015 and left the Army in the rank of specialist.
The army released the following statement regarding Leon’s disability:
“Unfortunately, due to Privacy Act constraints, we cannot release any information regarding the nature of a Soldier’s discharge or anything related to injuries sustained during an individual’s service.”
During Leon’s bond hearing, prosecutors said he had previously been charged with a terroristic threat in Harris County, out of Guadalupe County.
We have since reached out to Guadalupe County for more information.
Gianpaolo Macerola, Leon’s attorney, said his client has never been to prison and has no prior criminal record, and the case out of Guadalupe County was dismissed due to “mistaken identity.”
Macerola said his client attended San Jacinto College Maritime.
District Attorney Teare said further charges could come.