Son, 11, accused of fatally shooting father after boy’s Nintendo Switch was taken away: ‘Daddy’s dead’

An 11-year-old boy faces a homicide charge after he allegedly shot and killed his father after busting into the family’s gun safe to retrieve his Nintendo Switch console on Tuesday.

Douglas Dietz, 42, was found dead in his bed beside his horrified wife early Tuesday morning at their home in Duncannon, Pa, according to court documents obtained by WGAL.

Officers with the Pennsylvania State Police responded to the home around 3:20 a.m. and found Dietz with a gunshot wound to his head, and his 11-year-old son, Clayton Dietz, screaming at the top of his lungs, according to the court docs.

Clayton Dietz, 11, allegedly shot and killed his father on his birthday Tuesday. WGAL

Clayton, who Dietz and his wife adopted in 2018, was allegedly shrieking “Daddy’s dead” and was overheard telling his mother “I killed Daddy,” according to the documents.

Dietz’s wife told police that she slept through the entire ordeal, until a loud noise startled her awake. She said she smelled something similar to fireworks wafting through their bedroom and tried to nudge Dietz.

Dietz didn’t budge, and his wife said she heard something like water dripping, only to realize it was his blood seeping through the sheets, according to the documents.

Jan. 13, the day of the murder, was Clayton’s 11th birthday.

Dietz’s wife told police that they sang Clayton “Happy Birthday” before heading to bed shortly after midnight.

Clayton told investigators that he had a good day with his parents, but “got mad” at his father when he was told “he needed to go to bed.” He also allegedly confessed to shooting “somebody” who he later “identified as his father,” the documents said.

Clayton allegedly broke into his family’s gun safe, where his Nintendo Switch was being stored after it was taken away from him. JuanCi Studio – stock.adobe.com

The boy walked the police through his split-second decision-making that led up to his father’s gruesome demise.

Clayton’s Nintendo Switch console had been locked in the family’s gun safe, so he said he snuck around during the night and retrieved the key from his father’s drawer. The boy managed to pry the safe open, where he found his video game console and an unloaded firearm.

He allegedly admitted to “removing the gun from the safe, loading bullets into it and walking over to his father’s side of the bed” before “he pulled back the hammer and fired the gun at his father,” the affidavit stated.

Clayton described being blinded by anger and told police he “had not thought about” what would happen after he fired the gun.

Dietz’s wife told police she knew there was a gun safe in their bedroom, but didn’t know where the key was kept.

Clayton was arrested and charged with criminal homicide. He was denied bail and is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 22, according to a criminal docket.