High School Prank Sparks Gun Fears In Central Mass

An annual tradition for high school seniors in Mendon ended with police being called and local residents worried about a potential gunman in their neighborhood.

Mendon police were called to a neighborhood Thursday night, May 18, after someone saw a high school student carrying this water pistol and believed it was a real gun, authorities said.
Photo Credit: *Mendon Police Department*

Josh Lanier

05/19/2023 12:30 p.m.

Police were called to a neighborhood on Thursday night, May 18, after someone said they saw a teenager running around with a pistol. Officers investigated and found that the "gunman" was playing a game of Senior Assassin, where high school upperclassmen and women "assassinate" freshmen with water guns, Mendon police said.

Officers were able to quickly determine this was just a game and the gun was a toy, but they offered a warning to students who want to play this in the future.

"Regardless of the lack of harm a water gun can cause, the possession of a perceived firearm, whether a toy or replica, can create serious havoc and concern that could result in a police response," the department said in a Facebook post.

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