According to NBC News in the U.S. on the 1st, the Houston Police Department in Texas said an 11-year-old boy died of a gunshot wound to the back on the night of the 30th of last month after hitting the doorbell and running away.
Recently, on online platforms such as TikTok, videos of “Doorbell ditch” are popular among teenagers who press the doorbell and run away.
An 11-year-old boy who died in Houston also reportedly tried to ring a bell on the same day. He and his friends rang a doorbell at a home late at night and ran away, and a man A, who opened the door after a while, reportedly fired at the boys. The boy, who was shot in the back, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, but died eventually.
Mr. A, who shot the gun, was detained at his home and questioned, but was reportedly released after a police interrogation. The police said they are investigating, but no one has been arrested in connection with the incident yet.
In the United States, homeowners are granted the right to defend themselves against perceived threats on private property under the “Stand your ground” and the “castle doctrine.” This principle varies from state to state, but Texas adopts the principle of gender.
However, not all death cases are granted immunity. In May, an 18-year-old boy was shot and killed by his landlord while filming a ” Doorbell ditch ” prank in Virginia. In this regard, the landlord was arrested and imprisoned on charges of second-degree murder, malicious injury and gun use.
Doorbell ditch is back in vogue on TikTok in recent years, but there have been previous deaths due to Doorbell ditch.
In 2020, in California, a man crashed into a car with a teenager playing ” Doorbell ditch ” from behind and caused an accident. The man recognized that teenagers were seriously injured when they hit electric poles one after another at the time, but he went back without asking for help. Three people were killed in the accident, and the man was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
