An 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy is accused of fatally shooting his father after going to look for a confiscated Nintendo Switch, according to court records. The child has been charged with criminal homicide in the killing on Tuesday at the family's home in Duncannon Borough, about 20 miles north of Harrisburg, per the Guardian. State police responding around 3:20am to a report of an unresponsive man found 42-year-old Douglas Dietz dead in the bed he shared with his wife, WGAL reports, citing an affidavit. The parents' bedroom is said to be connected to the boy's room by a closet. Troopers said the shooting took place after the couple had gone to sleep not long after midnight.
Investigators say the boy, who was adopted in 2018 and had just celebrated his birthday, ran into the room yelling, "Daddy's dead!" Dietz's wife, Jillian, the boy's mother, told state police that she and her father tried to administer CPR to her husband, to no avail, per WHTM. Troopers at the scene reported hearing the boy tell his mother, "I killed Daddy." When questioned, the child allegedly said, "I shot somebody," then told officers he'd planned to shoot his father, according to the affidavit. The boy told police he was upset after being sent to bed and went looking for his Nintendo Switch, which had previously been taken from him, per the court documents cited by WGAL.
While searching his parents' bedroom, the boy said he found a key in one of his father's drawers, opened a gun safe, loaded a handgun, and shot his father in the head as he was apparently sleeping, according to the court filing. Asked what he thought would happen when he pulled the trigger, the boy reportedly answered that he was angry and hadn't considered the consequences.
Per the Daily Voice, the Dietzes had penned a letter months ago to their son's school district, noting that he'd recently been diagnosed as being autistic and had been exhibiting concerning behaviors, such as theft, physical aggression, and sexual harassment. In their letter, the parents warned that it would be "dangerous" for the district to ignore their pleas. The child is being held without bail, with a preliminary hearing expected on Thursday.
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