North Carolina high school student playing ‘Senior Assassin’ social media game arrested
By Carrie Hodgin
Click here for updates on this story
TROUTMAN, N.C. (WXII) — An 18-year-old South Iredell High School student was arrested and charged after police said he admitted to playing a social media game known as “Senior Assassin.”
On Tuesday, Troutman police officers said they received a call to a convenience store on North Main Street in reference to someone armed with a pistol and who allegedly pointed it at two teenagers inside the store. Once officers arrived, both the possible suspect and the teenagers had left the store. Police were given a description of the vehicle the suspect was driving.
Police said School Resource Officers saw a vehicle matching the description in the school parking lot. They placed the school on an immediate lockdown as a precaution.
Police located the driver of the vehicle, who’s a student at the school. The student was then detained. Police said the student told them he was participating in a social media game known as “Senior Assassin” and that the weapon involved was a water gun. Police recovered the water gun that they said resembled a real firearm. The lockdown was then lifted.
However, due to the disruption, the student was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, disrupting an educational institution. The student received a $5,000 secured bond.
“While this incident stemmed from a game, Troutman Police Department and the administration of South Iredell High School strongly discourage participation in “Senior Assassin,” both on and off campus. Activities of this nature can create significant public alarm and may be perceived as a real threat, potentially leading to serious or life-threatening consequences,” the police department said.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.