‘Senior assassin’ game leads Stoneham police to detain teen

Stoneham police are warning high school students who are playing the game “senior assassin” after a concerned resident called 911 reporting a man with a gun outside his home.

“I have a gentleman outside of my house, hiding with a gun, who looks like he’s about to ambush somebody. I need somebody to come right away,” the resident said, according to the 911 call released by police. 

Officers responded to Gerry Street in Stoneham just after 7 a.m. Monday after the resident reported the man outside his home had a pistol, Stoneham Police Chief James O’Connor said in a statement. 

There, police found a teenager with a “realistic-looking handgun-style water pistol.” Video of the incident appeared to show the teenager being arrested, but police said that instead “his parents were called, and he was released without charge or further incident.”

“The teenager was immediately compliant, apologetic, and cooperative with officers,” O’Connor said in a statement. “The teenager was briefly detained, but officers were able to confirm that he had no ill intent and had a water pistol, albeit a realistic-looking one.”

In body camera footage released by the department, officers approach the teen and tell him to lay facedown in the road.

The teenager is heard explaining he was holding a “senior assassin water gun” and apologizing to the officer. The officers then help him up and remove the handcuffs.

Stoneham police then released a warning about the game on Facebook, saying residents called 911 reporting two separate incidents. Both required a large police presence and were later determined to be related to the assassin game, police said.

While the department “does not condone” the activity, it is reminding students participating in the game to use brightly colored water guns, not use masks, and to not run from police. 

 “I would like to credit the officers who responded to this incident for their calmness and demeanor,” O’Connor said. “What could have been a potentially dangerous misunderstanding was quickly sorted out by well-trained professionals. It is my hope that we can turn this incident into a learning opportunity for our entire community and other communities who have also faced this issue.”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.