US boy, 11, allegedly shoots father to death after Nintendo Switch taken away | Pennsylvania
An 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy allegedly shot and killed his father after taking the Nintendo Switch handheld game system away from him.
The boy faces murder charges following a Jan. 13 shooting at his family’s Duncannon County home.
Documents obtained and reported by you as presented to the court WGAL News 8This incident shows how easily children have access to guns in the United States, where firearms are everywhere.
Police were dispatched to the family’s house at around 03.20 upon the report of an “unresponsive man”. The news site says cops found a 42-year-old man named Douglas Dietz dead in bed with a gunshot wound to the head.
The victim was reportedly found in the bedroom he shared with his wife, which was said to be connected to his son’s bedroom by a closet, according to court documents.
The outlet states that after investigation, authorities identified the man’s 11-year-old son as the suspect.
Police say it was the child’s birthday and the child entered the bedroom screaming, “Daddy’s dead.” The police who arrived at the scene also reported that they heard the son say to his mother, “I killed my father.”
Police said the attack occurred after the couple went to bed shortly after midnight. The boy told authorities he was having a nice day with his parents, but “went crazy” when his father told him it was time for bed, documents state.
The affidavit, obtained by WGAL News 8, states that when officers asked the boy what happened, he responded, “I shot someone.” The sworn police statement also included the following statements: “He admitted that he had someone in his mind whom he would shoot, whom he identified as his father.”
The court document says the boy told police he found the key to a gun safe in his father’s drawer in his parent’s bedroom, according to the news outlet. While trying to find his Nintendo Switch, which had been taken away from him before, he reportedly unlocked it and found a gun.
The son later allegedly admitted to “taking the gun out of the safe, loading it with bullets, and walking over to his father’s side of the bed,” according to the affidavit. “He backed up the tow truck and fired the gun at his father,” the affidavit said.
When asked what he believed would happen when he fired the gun, the boy said he was “crazy” and “didn’t think about it,” according to investigators.
WGAL News 8 reports the boy was denied bail after being taken into custody. The hearing is tentatively scheduled for January 22.
