An 11-year-old boy was shot dead in Houston city of the US, when he was trying to run away while playing a doorbell ditch prank, media reports said on Monday.

The incident reportedly happened when several children were playing the “ding-dong-ditch” prank on Saturday.

The shooting occured at around 11 p.m. near Mimbrough and Fidelity streets.

Police, quoting witnesses, told KHOU that a person started shooting at the children after they knocked the door of his residence.

“A witness says someone ran out of that house and was shooting at the kids running down the street, and unfortunately, sadly enough, one of the boys who was 11 years old was shot in the back,” HPD Homicide Detective Sgt. Michael Cass told the news channel.

The boy was rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

He later died in the hospital.

Police said a man was detained at the site of the shooting but was later released.

While executing a search warrant at the house, investigators collected several rifles and handguns as evidence, reported KHOU.

Speaking about the incident further, Cass told KHOU: "In my opinion, it does not look like any type of self-defence. It wasn’t close to the house, so it’ll more than likely be a murder charge."

The neighbours expressed sadness over the death of the boy in a harmless prank.

“What harm could they have done? Playing with a doorbell? That’s the part that really kind of hurts the heart,” one neighbour told KHOU 11. “For someone to shoot him in the back, they knew they were a kid. What’s the purpose of it?”