A quiet central Pennsylvania community is struggling to comprehend a tragic crime that unfolded inside a family home, where 11-year-old Clayton Dietz is accused of shooting his father dead following an argument over a video game. The shooting happened after the family celebrated the boy’s birthday.
Investigators allege the deadly confrontation was triggered after Clayton Dietz became enraged when his Nintendo Switch was taken away as punishment. The shooting occurred just after 3 a.m. Tuesday inside a home in Duncannon Borough, a small town near Harrisburg, according to state police.
Pennsylvania State Police say troopers were dispatched to a South Market Street residence for reports of an “unresponsive male.” Inside the home, officers found 42-year-old Douglas Dietz lying in bed with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Court records describe a disturbing sequence of events inside the house, which investigators say began hours earlier with what had been a birthday celebration for the child.
genuinely curious as to how they raised this kid for this to even happen https://t.co/M2uNwpLt6O
— bONGO 💫 (@wariocolosseum) January 18, 2026
According to the criminal affidavit, the Pennsylvania boy’s mother told police there was a gun safe located in the bedroom but said she did not know where the key to the safe was kept. Investigators later learned that the child allegedly located the key himself. The affidavit states that Clayton told troopers he found the key inside his father’s drawer.
Pennsylvania police allege the boy unlocked the gun safe while searching for his Nintendo Switch. Inside the safe, investigators say, he found a firearm. According to court documents, the child removed the gun, loaded it with ammunition, and then walked to his father’s side of the bed.
The affidavit alleges the boy pulled back the hammer and fired a single round into his father’s head while he slept. Investigators wrote that the child admitted he had his father in mind when he pulled the trigger.
When questioned about what he believed would happen after firing the weapon, investigators said the boy told them he was angry and “had not thought about that.”
Douglas Dietz’s wife awoke moments later to a loud noise and the smell of what she initially believed were fireworks. When she turned on the bedroom light, she discovered blood and realized her husband had been shot. Authorities say the boy then entered the room and told her, “Daddy’s dead,” later adding, “I killed Daddy.”
‼️#BREAKING: 11-Year-Old Boy Sh**ts Sleeping Dad Dead Over Confiscated Nintendo Switch — Confesses “I K*lled Daddy” on His Own Birthday
Clayton Dietz, just turned 11, got mad after dad Douglas Dietz took his Nintendo Switch & told him bedtime. Kid hunts for… pic.twitter.com/bDqTj2wMf3
— i Expose Racists & Pedos (@SeeRacists) January 17, 2026
Police noted that Douglas and his wife adopted Clayton in 2018. Neighbors described the family as quiet and well-liked, expressing shock that such violence could occur inside the home. One resident said the tragedy was something the community never expected to witness.
State police took the boy into custody at the scene and charged him with criminal homicide. He was denied bail and is currently being held at the Perry County Prison in Pennsylvania. A court hearing in the case is scheduled for this Thursday.
As the investigation continues, the Pennsylvania case has intensified scrutiny over firearm storage and access in homes with children. For the Duncannon community, the focus remains on the devastating reality left behind — a father killed in his own bed, a child facing homicide charges, and a family forever changed by a moment of anger that ended in irreversible loss.
