What looked like a gun near South Iredell High School in Troutman today was enough to send the campus into lockdown, pull in police and rattle nerves. It turned out to be a realistic-looking water gun, and a student was arrested after officers tracked the object to his vehicle.
Lockdown and arrest
Iredell-Statesville Schools said South Iredell High went into lockdown "out of an abundance of caution" after staff reported a possible firearm on or near campus. Troutman police responded, searched the area and ultimately recovered a water gun from a student's vehicle.
Officers arrested student Arkady Mueller and charged him with disorderly conduct for disrupting an educational institution. Once investigators confirmed there was no active threat and no one was hurt, the lockdown was lifted, according to WCNC.
The 'Senior Assassin' explanation
Mueller told police he had been taking part in a social media game known as "senior assassin," a pastime where players try to "eliminate" assigned classmates by squirting them with water guns. The incident shows how quickly a prank can look like a legitimate threat when the toy looks like a real weapon, WCNC reported.
Why officials warn about the game
Law enforcement agencies around the country have been sounding the alarm about "senior assassin" and similar games, saying they can easily cause panic when toy guns are made to resemble actual firearms. Local reporting shows sheriffs and police urging families to stick to brightly colored water toys and to avoid playing near homes or schools, where split-second decisions can have serious consequences, according to KRDO.
What happens next
Troutman police say the case remains under investigation and that prosecutors will decide what comes next. The school district will also review the situation under its own disciplinary rules.
Officials are urging parents to talk with students about the risks of unsanctioned games that involve facsimile weapons, especially anywhere near school grounds. What feels like harmless fun to teenagers, they warned, can quickly turn into criminal charges and a dangerous misunderstanding.
