Warning: This article contains discussion of violence that some readers may find distressing.
Tragic news is coming out of Pennsylvania, as one 11-year-old boy could now be facing jail time after he allegedly shot and killed his father following an argument about a Nintendo Switch. The ‘House that Mario Built’ has a family-friendly image that’s seen it churn out some of the biggest gaming franchises of all time, with the likes of Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon sitting under its umbrella.
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As reported by Pennsylvania's WGAL News 8, court documents have recorded a supposed January 13 incident where police were dispatched to a residence in Duncannon Borough and arrested an 11-year-old boy.
Officers headed to the scene at around 3.20 am, following up on the report of an “unresponsive male”. This is said to have been 42-year-old Douglas Dietz, who was found dead in his bed with a gunshot wound to the head.
The incident is said to have occurred on the boy's birthday, with the outlet claiming he entered the bedroom saying, "Daddy's dead."
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Troopers apparently also heard the young suspect telling his mother: "I killed Daddy."
The deceased is said to have shared the bedroom with his wife, while it was connected to his son's room via a closet.
There's a specific mention of the Nintendo Switch, suggesting that the shooting happened in the aftermath of Dietz taking the handheld console away from his son.
Dietz's wife says she was asleep but was woken up by a loud noise and a smell similar to fireworks. Nudging her husband, she noticed that he wasn't moving. Also hearing what she thought was dripping water, the court documents reveal she turned on the light and realized it was her husband's blood.
The boy told local authorities that he'd had a 'good day' with his parents, although documents refer to him becoming "mad" when Douglas Dietz told him to go to bed.
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The outlet cites an affidavit where the boy said, "I shot somebody.” The sworn police statement added: "He admitted that he had someone in mind whom he was going to shoot, whom he identified as his father.”
Dietz's wife says there was a gun safe in the room, although she claims she didn't know where the key was. It's reported that the 11-year-old found the safe key in a drawer when looking for his Nintendo Switch.
He then admitted to "removing the gun from the safe, loading bullets into it and walking over to his father's side of the bed."
The affidavit concluded: "He pulled back the hammer and fired the gun at his father."
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When asked what he thought would happen, investigators stated that the boy "was mad, and he had not thought about that."
With the boy being taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide, he's been denied bail and is being held at the Perry County Prison ahead of a January 22 hearing.