"Senior assassins" game has police in Minnesota sounding the alarm

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — Police in the Twin Cities area are raising concerns over a game that can go from fun to frightening, and fast.

"Luckily no one got hurt," Mark Harris said.

Harris lives in the Brooklyn Park neighborhood where a homeowner called police Tuesday around 6:45 a.m. after seeing someone in their yard wearing camouflage and holding what appeared to them to be a long gun.

"Our officers take it very seriously, we have to. Every call like that is handled like it's the real thing," Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Elliot Faust said.

In this case, the weapon in question turned out to be a water gun of sorts, police said. It was held by a Champlin Park High School student who told officers he was playing a game called "senior assassins."

"I think as the times are changing and as tragedies have happened in our community and put everybody on edge, I think this kind of takes a different form now for people," Faust said.

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In 2015, two Lakeville South students died in a crash while playing the game.

"The last thing we need is another issue where people are shooting projectiles, even harmless ones at each other on the roadway. It's not the right place for this type of behavior," Faust said.

In a note to families Tuesday, Anoka-Hennepin Schools wrote in part, "Taking a proactive stance, it is requested that parents and guardians reinforce safe driving practices with children to ensure their safety and the safety of their friends."

"Swing set, toys, and we've got young kids in the neighborhood and if we can slow the kids down doing stupid things, all for it," Harris said.

Carrying firearm look-alikes, also known as facsimile firearms, within Brooklyn Park is a crime.

"We'd really like to avoid a tragedy from happening and this is our attempt to try to get ahead of that," Faust said.