An Army veteran in Texas who allegedly shot and killed an 11-year-old who knocked on his door before running off has been given a $1 million bond.
Gonzalo Leon, 42, has been charged with murder in connection to the August 30 shooting of Julian Guzman in East Houston, according to NBC 2 Houston.
Leon appeared at a bond hearing on Wednesday and received a bond of $1 million, which was requested by prosecutors. They justified the amount by saying the case involved “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 during the hearing.
Investigators told the court that witnesses reported seeing an 11-year-old running from a house after ringing its doorbell and then subsequently suffering a gunshot wound.
Investigators said that Guzman was doing “ding-dong-ditch” pranks with his cousins at a number of homes in the neighborhood prior to the shooting.
Guzman’s cousin told investigators that the 11-year-old knocked on Leon’s door “several times” and ran away, but on the last attempt to knock at Leon’s house, they saw a man emerge from the home’s gate dressed in black and armed with a pistol.
The man who exited the gate then allegedly fired the pistol once into the ground, and then fired it again at the victim, according to the investigators.
Guzman was reportedly hit by the second shot fired and fell to the ground, his cousin told the police. The boy reportedly called for help and said he could not move. Guzman’s cousin said he tried to “army drag” him away from the area, and a neighbor ran out to help.
At that time, Leon allegedly walked back into his home.
Local news outlets reported at the time that Leon was detained and questioned by police on the day of the shooting but was later released. Days later, murder charges were filed and he was arrested.
“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.”
Police who searched Leon’s home said they recovered more than 20 firearms from the residence, including assault rifles, shotguns, and pistols.
NBC 2 Houston learned that Leon formerly served in the Army as an Infantryman from August 2013 to December 2016, and later enrolled in the Texas National Guard from December 2016 to May 2021. During his time in the armed forces he deployed to Afghanistan and left the Army at the rank of specialist.
During the bond hearing, prosecutors said that Leon had previously been charged with making terroristic threats in Harris County.
Leon’s attorney told the broadcaster that his client had never been in prison and had no prior criminal record, and that the case involving terroristic threats had been dismissed due to “mistaken identity.”
