Police issue warning over viral TikTok ‘Senior Assassin’ game after teen dies

Police departments across North America are warning about a viral TikTok game called ‘Senior Assassin’ after it may have caused the death of one teen so far.

‘Senior Assassin’ is a trending game where players blast each other with water, nerf or paintball guns in order to eliminate their ‘target.’

The rules differ from game-to-game. Sometimes, players get assigned a classmate they have to “assassinate” by shooting them. Other times, players are on teams and must record their ‘kills’ to avoid elimination.

The game, while not having originated on TikTok, has gone viral on the platform, with some videos of users’ “assassinations” and over-the-top strategies receiving millions of views.

While the game is typically seen as a “senior tradition,” it’s not limited to school grounds, and police say some are taking the game too far by using airsoft and other fake guns that resemble real firearms.

Cheboygan County Police Chief Scott Rifenberg pointed to two incidents where the game got out of control. In one, a player broke into his opponent’s house. In the other, players wore ski masks and ran through a restaurant – only to come into contact with a real licensed concealed pistol carrier.

“This could get someone hurt or killed,” warned Cheboygan County Sheriff Tim Cook. “If another individual believes a person’s life is being threatened and takes action on their own believing they are witnessing some sort of assault with a deadly weapon, as some of these toy guns have the appearance of a real firearm.”

Cops in Canada are also warning about the dangers of the game after receiving reports of students in vehicles carrying what were believed to be handguns. The Collingwood and Blue Mountains OPP officers later determined the firearms were actually water guns.

So far, one student in Pennsylvania may have died after being targeted by others for his “assassination.” According to Inside Edition, 16-year-old Justin Johnson, who suffered from sickle cell disease, reportedly died after being chased by students who wielded what appeared to be weapons.

ABC reports that security footage from the house showed a group of teens show up at Johnson’s door holding toy guns and asked him to “come outside.”

Johnson was not supposed to overtax himself physically due to his condition. His father later received a call from his out-of-breath son, explaining he had been chased. The dad then found his son lying on the floor in their home after coming home from work. The father was instructed by 911 to perform CPR until help could arrive, but the boy was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

The family and their attorney pointed to the Senior Assassin game during a press conference on May 1.

“It’s supposed to be a game that involves individuals trying to tag other individuals with water guns or pellet guns or paintball guns,” the lawyer said. “We don’t know the extent of the knowledge that the school may have known about this game that maybe kids were playing.”

An investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.