Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) yesterday issued an alert to the public about an ongoing annual trend called ‘Senior Assassins Game’, involving students and youth.
This trend is typically carried out annually by senior high school students in the spring or at the end of the school year. Participants are given specific targets, with the goal to ‘hunt’ and ‘assassinate’ those ‘targets’ using water guns or nerf style toys.
There have been incidents where participants have targeted uninvolved persons in public, police said.
The game can occur in various settings, including public spaces during the day and evening.
“DRPS encourages youth to be outdoors and engage in fun and safe physical activities in safe spaces,” police said.
It asked parents and guardians to speak with their children about the risks and dangers of participating in this game and using toys that can resemble or be mistaken for real guns and weapons.
“Using water guns or toys that resemble real firearms or weapons can lead to fear and concerns that trigger full emergency responses from police and may lead to criminal charges,” the police warned.