A popular end-of-year game among high school seniors is making waves across Metro Detroit — and catching the attention of law enforcement.
The students form teams in hopes of eliminating their opponents by using water guns in games, either known as “Water Wars” and “Senior Assassin.”
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While students say it’s all good fun, police are urging caution amid safety concerns.
A rite of passage with real stakes
The bracket-style competition runs roughly a month, according to students at Royal Oak High School.
The games are considered non-sanctioned school events.
“It’s just kind of a nonviolent way for all the seniors to kind of come together, get one last activity done as a group before we all go our own separate ways,” said James Wegehaupt II, a 17-year-old Royal Oak High School senior.
The competition isn’t just about bragging rights. Each player pays $15 to enter, and last year the winning team at Royal Oak High School took home approximately $3,000 — roughly $500 per player.
“You have to record every time you get someone out and send it to the main Instagram page, and then once you do that, if you’re the last team left, you win all the money,” said Trey O’Sayer, an 18-year-old Royal Oak senior.
Police sound the alarm
The game is drawing attention from law enforcement agencies across Metro Detroit. Area police departments are warning that suspicious activity, trespassing, chasing people and unsafe driving could result in criminal charges.
Some departments have encouraged students to skip the games altogether.
Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough says his department first started seeing Senior Assassin activity in the county a couple of years ago, which prompted alarming calls.
“It was mostly done under the light of darkness? And it was, ‘Hey, there’s four or five, looks like teenagers in my backyard with what looks like are guns.’ And that’s kind of where it started to lay the foundation,” Goodnough said.
The sheriff is asking students to be aware of their surroundings if they do participate.
“Who’s going to see what you’re doing, and are they going to interpret it as an act of violence? They’re using water pistols and different things. And we know that quite often, they replicate real firearms. And somebody driving down the street sees that going on, maybe a public park or something, can become startled, call 911. And now you have a bunch of emergency personnel responding, which puts everybody at risk,” Goodnough said.
He also reminded students that trespassing could result in legal consequences, and that escalating emotions during the game could potentially lead to more serious charges.
Know the rules, respect the community
Goodnough is not asking students to stop playing — but he is asking them to be thoughtful.
“Make sure if you’re doing it at your home that you let your neighbors know and respect everybody else’s property. Don’t traverse on somebody’s property unless you get permission, of course,” he said.
For residents who spot suspicious activity, the sheriff’s office is encouraging people not to approach the individuals themselves.
“I would probably resist on approaching them because you don’t know — is this a group of young teenagers playing a game, or is this truly someone that’s out to perpetrate a crime? You don’t want to put yourself in harm’s way,” Goodnough said.
Students say safety is top of mind
Despite the warnings, students say they’re committed to keeping things civil — and safe.
“I would say that we’re just trying to have fun with our friends the last year of high school. We’re not trying to harm anyone. I know that sometimes it can get a little crazy, but we’re really just trying to have fun and keep things safe for everyone,” O’Sayer said.
Wegehaupt echoed those sentiments, acknowledging the community’s concerns while defending the game’s intent.
“It really is non-violent. And for anyone who’s concerned, I think that if you just see it as us having fun and trust that we’ll respect each other’s property and the other players, I think that it could go really smoothly and be a lot of fun for everybody,” Wegehaupt said.
Goodnough says he ultimately wants young people to enjoy the final stretch of their senior year.
“We want our young teenagers to enjoy life,” he said. “There’s enough turmoil going on.”