An unsettling incident in Pennsylvania has left a community grappling with shock and grief. An 11-year-old boy, identified as Clayton Dietz, has been charged with criminal homicide following the tragic shooting of his adoptive father, Douglas Dietz. This heartbreaking event unfolded on what should have been a day of celebration—the young boy’s birthday.

Court documents reveal that the incident occurred at their residence on South Market Street in Duncannon, a suburb of Harrisburg. The events leading up to this tragedy reportedly began when Douglas Dietz removed his son’s Nintendo Switch gaming console. The removal of the console happened either during the late hours of Monday or the early morning of Tuesday, according to reports reviewed by PennLive.com.

Earlier that evening, the family had gathered to celebrate Clayton’s 11th birthday, staying up until midnight to sing “Happy Birthday.” However, after the brief celebration, Douglas insisted that his son go to bed, which allegedly sparked the boy’s anger.

The subsequent actions resulted in a devastating outcome, leaving those who knew the family and the wider community struggling to comprehend how a joyful occasion could turn so tragic. As the legal process unfolds, many are left reflecting on the profound implications of this heartbreaking incident.

This apparently upset the child.

After his parents went to bed and appeared to fall asleep, Clayton Dietz went into their bedroom and, inside a dresser drawer, grabbed the key to his father’s safe, the court documents said, believing his video game console might be in there. When he extracted the key, inserted it into the safe, and opened it up, he found a revolver.

According to authorities, he loaded bullets into the gun, pulled back the hammer, walked over to his sleeping father, and fired.

The child’s mother awoke to a bang and a smell similar to fireworks, she told police. She tried to nudge her husband awake, but to no avail, the local outlet reported. She then thought she heard water dripping — so she rose to her feet to turn on the light and see what it was.

That is when she reportedly noticed her husband was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head.

The child apparently realized what he had done around the same time, authorities said. “My dad’s dead,” he is said to have screamed as he ran downstairs. “I killed my dad. I hate myself.”

The boy reportedly had a bloody lip and a contusion above his left eye, though how he got those injuries was not explained.

Police arrived at the home at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday to find Douglas Dietz’s body. The wife told officers what she believed happened and what she witnessed. According to PennLive.com, she said that she and her husband adopted their son in 2018 when he was 3 years old and moved to the home on South Market Street in 2023.

Officers also spoke with the child. He allegedly admitted that “he had someone in mind who he was going to shoot” before he shot his father, local CBS affiliate WHP reported. When investigators asked him what he thought would happen when he pulled the trigger, he reportedly replied that he was angry and had not considered that.

Under Pennsylvania law, anyone, regardless of age, who is charged with murder is automatically processed in the adult criminal court system. Court records show Clayton Dietz has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 22.