Police Respond To Calls Regarding 'Senior Assassins' Game

GURNEE, IL — Local police have been responding to calls associated with a nationwide trend, a "Senior Assassins" game, which they say is dangerous.

Last week, the Gurnee Police Department responded to a restaurant in the city after a group of high school students entered a local restaurant wearing ski masks and displaying water guns, which looked like firearms, according to a post on the police department's Facebook page.

As part of the game, the students were targeting other students who were eating at the restaurant and spraying them with water.

An adult, who is a concealed carry holder, mistook the situation as a genuine threat. Police said the situation could have "escalated quickly."

"The gravity of the situation cannot be emphasized enough; it had the potential to lead to serious consequences," police wrote last week in the Facebook post.

Authorities said the game involves the formation of teams for a tournament-style competition, with participants eliminating opposing teams by "tagging" them with water guns. It's common for players to wear ski masks.

Police said displaying firearms, whether real or imitation in any public setting, is a matter of concern and may instill fear among the public, according to the Facebook post.

"We urge community members to reconsider their participation in such activities and recognize the seriousness of their actions," police wrote in the Facebook post. "Incidents like these may warrant disorderly conduct charges, as they often cause feelings of being alarmed and disturbed by others."