An incident that caused a large police presence in Schaumburg prompted the village to join a growing list of communities warning residents about a game being played nationwide called "Senior Assassins."
According to police, the game involves forming teams for a "tournament-style competition" in which students eliminate competitors by "tagging" them with water guns. The rules of the game, however, vary by location.
"The goal is to be the last person remaining in the game not sprayed with the water gun," the village of Schaumburg said in a Facebook post. "The youth... hide, chase each other, and use the element of surprise to suddenly utilize the water gun against other players."
According to the village, an incident involving children playing the game at a parking garage required a large police presence. While no injuries were reported, the water guns players displayed "looked realistic," and the group was in a populated area at the time, officials said.
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In the post, authorities said they wanted teens to be aware their actions could be viewed as alarming and could potentially be considered disorderly conduct.
Similarly, Oak Park River Forest High School sent an email to its school community, urging parents to address the risks associated with the game.
"Though this is not an activity sanctioned by the school, we understand that it is intended to be student-organized fun for seniors who are in their final weeks of high school," Principal Lynda Parker said in the letter, in part.
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The game, she explained, can have "very real consequences for students."
"Please speak to your children so they are aware of these concerns and make good, safe choices," Parker said. "Seniors are so close to the end of their high school years; we want them all to be able to fully celebrate the accomplishments they have worked hard to achieve."
Police in other suburbs, including Gurnee, Bartlett and Arlington Heights, previously put out community alerts surrounding the game, some noting "concerning incidents" associated with it.
In Gurnee, a group of high school students from another suburb entered a restaurant wearing ski masks and holding water guns that police said resembled firearms.
"They were targeting other students who were dining in the restaurant and attempting to spray them with water," police said in an alert. "An adult, who was a concealed carry holder, in the restaurant mistook the situation for a genuine threat, and the situation could have escalated quickly. The gravity of the situation cannot be emphasized enough; it had the potential to lead to serious consequences."
In Bartlett, village officials warned the game begins on April 14. There, authorities noted that officers in nearby towns, including St. Charles, have responded to 911 calls made by residents concerned about people wearing masks or hoodies lurking around homes or suspicious vehicles driving around neighborhoods.
"Some of these reports also involved participants driving on lawns or brandishing water guns that looked like realistic-looking handguns (as shown in the pictures), which has caused concern for the responding officers since they were unable to tell whether the participating students were committing actual crimes or simply playing a game," the alert said.
In each case, police said they do not condone the game and some expressed concerns with school officials.
"The concept is not against the law or a local ordinance. We ask everyone to play safely, use common sense and recognize how players’ actions may be perceived by members of the community," Arlington Heights police wrote in their alert. "The unintentional result of participants running throughout the community with a water gun, some often resembling a look-alike firearm, could have deadly consequences."
