An 11-year-old boy from Pennsylvania is facing homicide charges after fatally shooting his father, allegedly in response to having his Nintendo Switch confiscated and being sent to bed.
Authorities from the Pennsylvania State Police responded to an emergency call at a residence in Duncannon Borough shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. There, they discovered 42-year-old Douglas Dietz had been shot in the head, as reported by WGAL.
The accused, Clayton Dietz, was subsequently taken into custody and charged with murder.
According to statements given to investigators, Clayton’s mother was asleep when the incident occurred. She was awakened by a loud noise and a smell reminiscent of fireworks. Unable to rouse her husband, she followed a sound akin to dripping water, which turned out to be blood when she turned on the lights.
Clayton then entered the room and stated, “Daddy’s dead.” Responding officers also reported hearing Clayton admit to his mother, “I killed daddy.”
Documents reveal Clayton recounted to investigators that the evening had been pleasant, with his parents singing “Happy Birthday” to him just after midnight. However, he became upset when his father insisted that he go to bed.
Police asked the boy what happened, and he responded that he “shot somebody.” He told police that he found a key in his father’s drawer and used it to unlock a safe in the bedroom, where he hoped to find his Nintendo Switch. Instead, the found a gun and admitted “removing the gun from the safe, loading bullets into it and walking over to his father’s side of the bed,” the documents say.
Then, the docs say, “He pulled back the hammer and fired the gun at his father.”
Police asked the boy what he thought was going to happen when he shot his father and he told them, “he was mad, and he had not thought about that.”
Investigators found the gun used in the shooting in a closet that connects Clayton’s bedroom with his parents’, WHTM said.
The boy’s mother, Jillian Dietz, said that she saw Clayton in the closet before he ran downstairs yelling, “My dad’s dead.” She also said she hear him yelling, “I killed my dad, I hate myself.”
The 11-year-old boy is being held at Perry County Prison without bail and is due for a hearing on January 22, according to WGAL.
