Anakin Zehring, an 18-year-old high school senior from Goddard, Kansas, was left paralyzed from the waist down after a confrontation in a Walmart parking lot on May 11, 2024. Zehring was playing the controversial game “Senior Assassin” with two friends when the incident occurred. The game involves high school seniors using toy guns to tag their targets, and it took a dangerous turn when they shot at a girl and her boyfriend with gel blasters.
“Senior Assassin” has gained notoriety nationwide, prompting warnings from law enforcement about its potential dangers. Law officials express concerns that toy guns used in the game can be mistaken for real firearms, leading to potentially deadly situations.
According to court documents and multiple news reports, Zehring and his friends were in a car outside the Walmart when they spotted two teenagers walking toward the building. As part of the game, they conducted a drive-by shooting with gel blasters, with one of the passengers shouting, “I am your senior assassin.” The girl and her boyfriend, struck by the water-filled polymer beads, rushed inside the Walmart to escape.
The girl immediately called her father, Ruben Marcus Contreras, to inform him of the incident. Contreras, 47, drove to the Walmart, armed with a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun. Upon his arrival, he confronted Zehring, who was attempting to back out of a parking spot in his Chevy Spark. In the heat of the moment, Contreras fired a single shot into the car, striking Zehring.
Video footage from the Walmart parking lot showed Contreras running up to the driver’s side of Zehring’s car and attempting to open the door. He then retrieved his firearm and fired a single shot into the vehicle.
The bullet caused severe injuries, including a punctured duodenum and spinal cord damage, leaving Zehring paralyzed from the waist down. He was initially hospitalized in critical condition before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility. Contreras was arrested on May 15 and charged with attempted first-degree murder. He was later released on $300,000 bail.
The “Senior Assassin” game, while intended as a harmless end-of-year tradition for high school seniors, has drawn criticism for its potential to cause serious harm.