Police Warn About Senior Assassins Challenge Game

Montgomery County Public Schools has issued a community message concerning the “Senior Assassins Challenge,” a water gun tag game currently being played by students across the country. According to USA Today, “instances of students playing the game have resulted in disturbances, such as a student breaking into another student’s home to “tag” them with a paintball gun or a group of students wearing ski masks entering a restaurant to find their opponents and being confronted by a licensed concealed pistol holder.”

“Dear MCPS Families,

We are writing to make you aware of concerns raised by the Montgomery County Police Department about reports of youth in the county participating in a game called the “Senior Assassins”. This is a game of tag among seniors using water guns that is recorded on video and posted to social media. If a student is sprayed, they’re out of the game. The last student in the game is considered the winner.

It is reported that students who play this game may also engage in dangerous behaviors such as reckless driving and trespassing, and there are reports of teenagers in public parking lots with water guns. The use of water guns, as they resemble weapons, can cause alarm and lead to unintended situations where someone may feel threatened or scared.

While the reported incidents have not occurred at any Montgomery County Public School, we want to remind you that this type of behavior is strictly prohibited on any MCPS campus. We are closely monitoring the situation and are fully prepared to respond immediately if it were to occur.

Parent/Caregivers are encouraged to do two things:

• Speak with your student about the potential dangerous behaviors and consequences associated with the game and to not participate in the game.
• If you witness any instances of this game in the community please report it to the police.

We hope you join us in taking this information seriously and help us maintain a safe and secure environment for our students.

Montgomery County Public Schools”