NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Newton Police have issued a warning about water guns that appear to be real firearms after an incident on Wednesday evening.
Officers were dispatched to a local playground for a report of a “male party coming out of the woods carrying what looks like a firearm.” At the time of the report, police say there were between 25-40 children playing in the area.
Police say they located the person, a juvenile resident, who was in possession of a “glock” style pistol water gun. The juvenile told police they were playing in a “Senior Assassin” game, a form of man hunt/hide and seek/tag that uses water guns to hit targets.
“What may seem like a fun game, it can turn extremely dangerous and create fear in community members if participants use what appear to be real guns,” police said in a statement.
“We want to thank the caller for being vigilant and showing concern for the numerous children playing in the area yesterday, our patrol officers for their swift and professional response and to the juvenile and their parents for understanding the seriousness of the situation,” they continued.
School Resource Officers spoke to numerous student and their parents about the incident and are asking adults to not allow their children to use water guns that could be mistaken for real firearms.
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