JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – State Attorney Melissa Nelson, local sheriffs and other Northeast Florida law enforcement leaders held a news conference Thursday to warn parents and students of the potentially deadly consequences of the “Senior Assassin” game being played by high school seniors.
The news conference came after an off-duty Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agent shot an 18-year-old Bishop Kenny High School standout football player in the arm on Wednesday while the student was playing “Senior Assassin” in Nassau County, according to officials.
Nelson, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper and Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key attended Thursday’s news conference.
“I know they want to play games to have fun, but this can be a deadly game in the right situation. So thankfully in this case, it wasn’t, but who knows it may be the next time,” Leeper said.
Press play above to re-watch the news conference
According to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting involving the student and the FDLE agent happened around 6 a.m. on Purple Martin Drive in Yulee when the FDLE agent noticed “three people prowling outside their residence in the dark.”
“These types of games may seem innocent, but when you have young people sneaking around in the dark and carrying objects that could be mistaken for weapons, you’re creating a potentially deadly situation,” Leeper said Wednesday.
According to Nelson, high school seniors across Northeast Florida and the country are currently playing the game, which involves groups using water guns to “shoot each other” until the last man or team is left standing.
“Play occurs off school campus and often pervades the boundaries of private property, including yards, driveways, garages and cars and the water guns often look like real firearms, certainly in the dark. It sometimes can involve masks, camouflage and other gear intended to obscure identity, and while intended to be really a simple and fun game, these tactics can obviously create a dangerous environment with potentially fatal consequences,” Nelson said.
Nelson added that this year, “play in our area has recently begun” and is scheduled to start next week in some schools.
“They call it ‘Senior Assassins,’ but doing something like that, I call it ‘Dumb Assassins.’ You shouldn’t do stuff like that,” Leeper said.
Officials called for an end to this game and asked parents, school administrators and elected school board members to do their part in ending it.
“Parents, I urge you to have a conversation with your children about the dangers associated with this game. Students, I ask that you consider the potential consequences of your choices. What may seem like a harmless game can quickly escalate into life-altering situations,” Key said.
According to Key, the game is “particularly popular” at Fletcher High School and it has led to multiple incidents involving trespassing on private property, reckless driving and other unsafe behaviors.
The student who the agent shot was taken to UF Health with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be OK. He was scheduled to go into surgery Thursday morning to repair a broken arm, according to Nelson.