Duncannon, Pennsylvania– An 11-year-old boy faces murder charges after shooting and killing his father in Perry County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
News and news 8 Obtained court documents that reveal new details about what happened Tuesday morning, January 13, in Duncannon Borough.
Officers went to a home on South Market Street at about 3:20 a.m. looking for an “unresponsive male” and found Douglas Dietz, 42, dead from a gunshot wound to the head, according to documents.
Douglas was found in bed in the bedroom he shared with his wife, which is connected to their son’s bedroom by a closet, according to the affidavit.
After an investigation, police identified Douglas’s son, 11-year-old Clayton Dietz, as the suspect.
According to court documents, Douglas’ wife told police she was asleep when she was awakened by a loud noise and smelled something similar to fireworks. She said she tried to push Douglas, but he wouldn’t move. She then heard what she thought was dripping water, but when she turned on the light she realized it was blood, according to the documents.
Clayton then entered the bedroom and screamed, “Daddy’s dead,” police said. Troopers at the scene also said they heard Clayton tell his mother, “I killed my father.”
Officials noted that Douglas and his wife adopted Clayton in 2018.
Police say it happened on their son’s birthday. According to court documents, the couple went to bed shortly after midnight after singing Happy Birthday to Clayton.
Clayton told investigators he had a good day with his parents. “When his father told him he needed to go to bed, he became angry with him,” the documents state.
When police asked Clayton what happened, he said, “I shot somebody,” according to the affidavit. “He admitted that he was thinking about someone who was going to shoot him, whom he identified as his father,” the documents state.
The wife told police there was a gun safe in the bedroom, but she denied knowing where the key was kept, according to investigators.
Clayton said he found the key in his father’s drawer and opened the safe to try to find his Nintendo Switch, which had been taken from him previously, according to the documents.
Clayton admitted to “taking the gun out of the safe, loading bullets into it, and walking to his father’s side of the bed,” the affidavit stated. “He pulled the hammer and shot his father.”
When police asked Clayton what he thought was going to happen when he opened fire, he said he “was crazy, and he didn’t think about it,” investigators reported.
According to State Police, Clayton was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide.
Clayton was denied bail and is being held in the Perry County Jail, where a hearing is scheduled for Thursday, January 22.
WGAL News 8 reporter AJ Sisson spoke to a neighbor who expressed shock, saying they never expected something like this to happen in their community.
“They’re very nice. I mean I didn’t talk to them much. They kept to themselves out there and seemed very nice. I didn’t expect this,” said Jesse Weldon, a lifelong Duncannon resident.
Weldon lives right down the road and was outside during the Pennsylvania State Police investigation, but he barely knew the people inside. Neighbors who spoke off-camera say this street used to be a close-knit community, but many of them don’t know each other now.
“Have you ever seen anything like this here in the area?” Sisson asked.
“Not really. Not that close. I mean you hear about it, it’s not like he’s next to people, you know?” Weldon said. “I remember the 90s when things were in transition, like technology, and between now and then, a lot has changed.”
The Susqueneta School District in Perry County issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon, expressing its sympathies to the community following the shooting.
“We recognize that in a tight-knit community like ours, events like this can impact our students. Our school counselors and psychologists are available to provide support to any student who needs it.”
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