GROTON — Police responded to multiple 911 calls about a person armed with a gun in a neighborhood Thursday, only to discover it was a high school senior participating in a game called “Senior Assassin.”
The incident occurred at 5:33 p.m. when Groton and Westford Police Departments were dispatched after receiving several reports of an individual wearing all black, covering their face with a ski mask, and carrying what appeared to be a gun.
Upon investigation, officers determined the person was a Groton-Dunstable Regional High School senior participating in a water gun competition where students attempt to eliminate one another by squirting them with water guns.
Police said the squirt gun was “realistic looking from a distance” and had been mistaken for a real firearm by multiple concerned residents.
“Thankfully, this incident did not have a tragic ending due to officers’ training and experience and the quick realization that the gun was not real,” the Groton Police Department said in a statement.
Authorities are asking parents of high school students to discuss with their teens the dangers of the game and the potentially life-threatening consequences of carrying realistic-looking toy weapons in public.
Police emphasized that the “Senior Assassin” game is not sanctioned by Groton Police, Dunstable Police or Groton-Dunstable Regional High School.
Officials warned that future incidents involving teens causing disruption while playing this game could result in legal consequences for disturbing the peace and other potential violations.
