"Senior assassin" game prompts warning to students from several Massachusetts police departments
Police departments in several Massachusetts towns are warning graduating high school students about the dangers of a game called "senior assassin" that has prompted 911 calls.
The game, usually played by high school seniors, involves students running around outside with water guns at night. They try to eliminate or "assassinate" others playing the game by squirting water at them.
But police in Groton, Hopkinton, Wilmington and Walpole said this week that the water guns can be mistaken for real firearms.
Hopkinton police said a 911 caller reported Tuesday that someone was driving a car and waving a gun.
"The reporting party believed the water gun to be a real firearm in this case," police said in a Facebook post. "Luckily, officers were able to quickly determine that there was no real threat to the public."
"Senior assassin" safety concerns
Groton police said there was a report Monday "of a person armed with a gun, wearing all black, and covering their face with a ski mask" near the Westford town line. In this case, police said the squirt gun "was realistic looking from a distance."
And in Wilmington, police and school leaders said in a joint statement that the game "has raised significant safety concerns in the community."
"The nature of the game — involving water guns, ambush-style tactics, and sometimes late-night or early-morning pursuits — can easily be mistaken by bystanders or law enforcement as a real threat, leading to potentially dangerous situations," the town officials said.
Police safety tips for "senior assassin" game
Police are urging students who are playing the game not to trespass on other people's property. In an incident eight years ago involving students playing the game, a Hopkinton homeowner saw a stranger in her garage, locked it remotely with the teenager inside and called 911. And in Kingston two years ago, multiple police cruisers responded when the game was played with a water gun that looked like a real Glock firearm.
Hopkinton police are telling students to use water guns that are brightly colored, and not to run and hide if officers respond. They also appealed to parents to talk to their kids about possible dangers surrounding the game.
"While we understand this game is for fun, we want to remind the public that this game must be played responsibly and that it will result in a police response when we receive calls of this nature," police said.
