Awful video shows how Texas schoolboy ended up on life support while playing viral 'senior assassin' game

Daily Mail​

09-05-2025

A horrific video has depicted the moments before a water gun game turned tragic when a Texas teen fell from the back of a moving Jeep.
Isaac Leal, 17, was running around with another teen before hopping on the back of a classmate's car while playing 'senior assassins' - a popular high school tradition where kids have to catch their pals and shoot them with water guns.
But Leal's innocent fun turned into a nightmare on April 20. New video showed the Jeep backing out of a driveway, while he stood on the back bumper, holding onto the car.
Wearing a red shirt, Leal was seen holding onto his water gun when the Jeep began to drive off. The car then accelerated down the road, as the teen flashed one arm in the air.
Leal's father, Jose, said in an interview with CBS News that the Jeep's driver, who has yet to be identified, drove with his son on the back for five minutes.
He added that the Jeep took six turns and Leal was 'holding on for his life.'
When the Jeep suddenly hit a dip in the road, Leal was thrown from the back of the vehicle and fell into the road, knocking him unconscious.
Terrifying images showed passersby and first responders huddled around the boy's body, which was sprawled in the center of a residential street in Arlington, Texas.
Leal - a beloved star baseball player in school - was rushed to hospital with life-threatening head injuries and is still on life support, 19 days later.
Police were notified of the incident on May 3 after Leal's parents filed a report. They were not dispatched to the scene because the initial call was believed to have been a traffic incident.
The Arlington Police Department issued a statement saying their traffic division would be leading an investigation into the incident.
'In reviewing calls for service from the date the incident occurred, April 20, we learned that EMS responded to the accident site for what was described as an unconscious person,' the police said in a statement.
'PD, however, was never dispatched and we were not notified that Mr. Leal's injuries stemmed from a traffic incident until we spoke with his family this past weekend.'
The police added that, based on initial evidence, it appeared that the incident was an accident.
Leal's parents are pushing for justice after the tragedy that left their star baseball player on life support.
Leal's father told CBS News that his son was holding onto the back of the car for five minutes
The teen is seen here, holding on to the back of the Jeep before tragedy struck
'I understand accidents happen, but this was not an accident,' his mother, Raquel Vazquez, said in an interview with CBS.
Leal is being treated at Medical City Healthcare in Arlington, Texas, which is a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth.
The Texas teen attended South Grand Prairie High School and was a star on the baseball team. He is graduating this spring.
Leal was participating in an unofficial senior tradition with his classmates. 'Senior assassin' is a game where students are assigned peers as their 'targets.'
They are tasked with 'assassinating' them with water guns. Leal's father told CBS that all the participating students download a tracking app that shows where their targets are.
Officials have warned parents about the game for years, as it poses potential dangers.
Leal is a senior at South Grand Prairie High School and was a star on the baseball team
Police in Oklahoma warned last month on Facebook that water guns can accidentally be mistaken for real guns, causing potentially fatal misunderstandings. The game can also lead to trespassing and unsafe driving.
Leal's parents are hoping that students across the nation will refrain from playing the game.
'There's a reason why they're telling you not to play it, don't play it. It's not worth it, it's not worth it,' Vasquez told local Fox affiliate, KXAS-TV.
South Grand Prairie's principal warned that students who continue to play the game could face disciplinary actions.