A Rosary was held on Friday. Julian will be laid to rest on Saturday.
HOUSTON — Eleven-year-old Julian Guzman left his world too soon. That’s what you’ll find written in his online obituary.
Friends and family have begun the process of saying goodbye, starting with a visitation service ahead of a rosary and then funeral.
Julian’s death is a story of tragedy, one that many say didn’t have to happen and shouldn’t have happened.
“They were just hanging out with their friends, you know what I mean,” said mourner Daysha Crenshaw. “I mean, shooting them, that’s crazy. It’s excessive.”
Julian died late Saturday night while playing a game known as ding dong ditch. Police say the suspect, who had been waiting outside, shot Guzman in the back as he was running away.
“We played this as kids growing up,” Crenshaw said.
“Oh, we did it all the time — hotel rooms, and stuff like that,” said Steven Bentham.
Cameras were not allowed inside for the visitation happening at the Funeraria Del Angel Crespo on Navigation, but in an online obituary, Guzman is remembered as someone who brought immeasurable joy into every room. That was evident through a steady flow of visitors who came to show their respects. Guzman’s family was the first to arrive.
“Pointless. It’s pointless,” Crenshaw said. “You can’t be that mad at a kid for knocking on your door and running.”
It’s a story that’s spreading across the city and the nation.
“Take this as a lesson to learn, that kind of give people grace and think about what you do before you do it,” Bentham said.
The man investigators say shot Julian in the back is behind bars on a $1M bond. Gonzalo Leon Jr. is charged with murder.
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