Latest news with #SouthGrandPrairieHighSchool
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
North Texas teen critically injured in ‘Senior Assassin' game dies in hospital
A North Texas high school senior died after more than a month on life support from injuries sustained in an accident while playing the game 'Senior Assassin' in Arlington. Isaac Leal, 17, died on Monday, June 2, from a blunt force injury to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. His death was ruled an accident. 'He was full of life, dreams and so much potential. Isaac brought light to everyone around him with a smile, kind heart and spirit that touched so many,' a family member wrote in a GoFundMe to raise donations for his memorial service. Leal was hospitalized for over a month and underwent multiple surgeries and tests while he was in a coma, according to the GoFundMe account. Leal, a baseball player at South Grand Prairie High School, was chasing other students with his water gun in an Arlington neighborhood on April 20, police said. During the game, Leal jumped onto the back of a parked Jeep, which drove through the residential neighborhood in the 6500 block of Devine Drive, Arlington police said. After the Jeep turned onto Setter Drive, Leal fell off the vehicle and hit his head. The driver stopped and 911 was called, police said. 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → Warrant: Stranger shot 3 and 'walked away calmly' → Tarrant County approves new commissioners precincts → Woman's body pulled from Trinity River [Get our breaking news alerts.] Leal was taken to the Medical City hospital in Arlington after EMS responded to the scene. Arlington police said they began investigating on May 3 after they were informed that the accident involved a vehicle. No criminal charges were filed against the driver. Police said there was no evidence to show that the driver of the Jeep was driving recklessly or intentionally trying to cause Leal to fall off the vehicle.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
The Viral ‘Senior Assassin' Game Comes With Some Risks: Here's What Parents Need To Know
Playing with toy guns in this day and age is like playing with fire — just look at the tragic death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot by police when they thought the BB gun he was playing with at a park was real. Yet, teens and tweens around the country are playing with water games in a viral 'Senior Assassin' game that has already caused serious harm to a student in my home state of Texas. The 'Senior Assassin' game works like this: high school seniors will go around neighborhoods, parking lots of other stores, and public parks with water guns. I've even seen teens walking around a local outdoor mall playing amid the strollers and families shopping. The teens will try to shoot other high school students to eliminate them from the game. They keep track of each other's locations via the Splashin App. It's become so popular in recent weeks, that even kids in other grades have started playing with their friends. More from SheKnows Graduation Season Hits Different When It's Your Baby Wearing the Cap & Gown It seems innocent enough (albeit annoying if you get caught in the crosshairs), but it can be dangerous too. One 17-year-old student named Isaac Leal, a senior at South Grand Prairie High School in Dallas-Fort Worth, was hospitalized after playing the game with his friends on April 20, per NBCDFW. Police told the outlet that Leal climbed in the back of another student's Jeep Wrangler while the driver drove. As the Jeep drove, the car hit a dip and Leal fell off, where he was taken to the hospital. Police and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office found no evidence of criminal offense, driving recklessly, or intentionally trying to harm Leal. Leal is reportedly on life support after suffering a head injury after the fall, according to KTVT, per USA Today. Isaac Leal's father, Jose Leal, told the local outlet that he believes what happened 'was not an accident' and is calling for further investigation. 'I have not been able to go home because I can't imagine going home without him,' he said. The game has caused other incidents across the country. Last week, a medical building in Guilford, Connecticut, went into lockdown mode after police received a call that a man was running around with a gun, per Patch. It ended up being a student playing 'Senior Assassin' with a water gun that was designed to look like a real Glock. The Guilford Deputy Police Chief Martina Jakober warns teens to play the game outside of school hours, not on school grounds or private property, and with an obvious water gun that is brightly colored, so it won't be confused with a real gun. 'It is imperative that parents and guardians speak with their seniors about the potential outcomes of their actions when playing this game,' the police said in a statement. 'Students should also be mindful that they could face arrest if the level of their actions rises to a crime.' The Splashin App was designed to create more safety and structure around this game. 'Senior Assassin, a long-standing high school tradition since the 1980s, has often lacked structure,' the app states on its website. 'Each year players had to reinvent the rules, safety, and gameplay management. Splashin changes this by empowering schools, administrators, and players with tools and sensible, baseline rules to help organize safe and responsible gameplay.' They added, 'With Splashin, schools have the ability to create games, manage players, and enforce rules and safety standards. These tools have allowed schools and parents to engage with their students – enabling them to play safely and responsibly.' Of course, getting teens to listen to these rules is another battle. But spreading awareness about this game and how teens can play more safely, like with colorful water guns and in public places, can help lower the risk of of SheKnows 19 Celebrity Stepparents Who Have a Tight Bond With Their Stepkids I'm 29 Weeks Pregnant, & Comfortable Sandals Are a *Must* This Summer—These Are the Best Ones on the Market Recent Baby & Toddler Product Recalls Every Parent and Caregiver Should Know About
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Family keeps hope alive for North Texas student on life support after "Senior Assassin" game injury
Jose Leal, Raquel Vazquez The South Grand Prairie High School baseball team is honoring the 17-year-old student fighting for his life after playing a controversial water gun game popular among graduating seniors. His family reports encouraging signs of responsiveness, fueling hope for his recovery. Isaac Leal has been on life support at an Arlington hospital for nearly a month after falling off the back of a vehicle while playing a game called "Senior Assassin." His father said he has a new reason to have hope that his son will recover. Family reports encouraging signs for 17-year-old on life support after "Senior Assassin" water gun game It was April 21 when the teenager was playing a water gun target game called "Senior Assassin" and fell off the back of a moving vehicle. He's been on life support since. Jose Leal, Raquel Vazquez Isaac Leal's family wants to show everyone video they believe is proof that the 17-year-old is showing signs of responsiveness from the hospital bed where he has been for three weeks. "Our kid is a fighter," said Jose Leal. "You know, basically, what I can say about my son — he's never been a person to give up." Jose Leal said his son moved his legs on command. "We see certain characteristics, like a smile or we see tears coming down his eyes," Jose Leal said. "You know, those are the things that we're looking at. That gives us hope." While he fights for his life, a table was decorated in honor of the South Grand Prairie High School senior Monday night at the baseball team's annual banquet. Jose Leal, Raquel Vazquez Injury prompts school districts to warn against playing "Senior Assassin" Isaac Leal's injury and the attention it's received have prompted a number of North Texas school districts to issue warnings and threaten students caught playing the game. The "Senior Assassin" game has become an unofficial tradition among students across the country. Isaac's family searches for long-term care facility and hopes for the future The family says it's yet to find a long-term care facility that will take Isaac Leal. Despite his grave condition, they haven't given up hope that he could attend his senior class graduation in two weeks. "Isaac's supposed to be graduating May 25," Jose Leal said. "We're hoping that he's able to walk, be out of here before May 25. That's that's that's what we're hoping for. We're asking God to deliver."
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
North Texas student on life support after fall during ‘Senior Assassin' game
A 17-year-old North Texas high school senior was critically injured and is hospitalized on life support after an accident while playing the game 'Senior Assassin' in Arlington. In the game that's popular among graduating high school students, players armed with water guns have a list of classmates they have to track down and 'assassinate.' On April 20, Isaac Leal, a baseball player at South Grand Prairie High School, was chasing other students with his water gun through an Arlington neighborhood. While playing the game, Leal jumped onto the back of a parked Jeep, which then drove away, his family told KTVT-TV. Leal was standing on the back bumper of the Jeep as it made several turns before it hit a dip in the road and threw him onto the pavement, where he hit his head, his family told the CBS news station. 'They were playing Senior Assassin. He jumped on a young girl's Jeep as it was parked. The girl reversed and took off and drove for five minutes at a high speed to where he could not jump off,' Leal's mother, Raquel Vazquez, told KXAS-TV. Surveillance videos from neighbors' security cameras showed Leal riding on the back of the Jeep and then an ambulance responding after he fell, the NBC station reported. 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → Texas warns Fort Worth ISD of potential takeover → Second teen arrested in man's beating death → Tarrant County Meals On Wheels funding restored [Get our breaking news alerts.] Leal has been on life support at Medical City Arlington since the accident, his family said. Only EMS responded to the scene, and the family told KTVT that they want a criminal investigation. Arlington police are in contact with Leal's family and are investigating the incident to determine whether a criminal offense occurred, police told the Star-Telegram. Police said they were made aware of the accident on Saturday, May 3, when Leal's family contacted them. Officers responded to the hospital to speak with the family and a police report was taken. '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,' police said. Officers were 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,' police said. Police said based on evidence detectives reviewed, it appears Leal was hanging onto the back of the vehicle when the accident occurred. The traffic division is leading the ongoing investigation, police said. Vazquez, who wants Leal to be moved to a different hospital, told KXAS her son was too unstable to be transferred. 'We can't even roll him in the bed without his vitals reacting,' she said.
New York Post
08-05-2025
- New York Post
Texas high school baseball star on life support after playing ‘Senior Assassin' just weeks before graduation
A standout Texas high school baseball star is on life support after he was seriously injured while playing a water gun game wildly popular among teens across the US. Isaac Leal, 17, a senior at South Grand Prairie High School, was chasing his classmates through an Arlington neighborhood on April 20 when he hopped on the back of a parked Jeep with his 'Senior Assassin' target inside, NBCDFW reported. Cellphone and doorbell camera footage captured the teen standing on the back bumper of the Jeep right before his target drove away at a 'high speed.' Advertisement 5 Isaac Leal was seriously injured while playing the game 'Senior Assassin.' GoFundMe 'They were playing 'Senior Assassin.' He jumped on a young girl's Jeep as it was parked. The girl reversed and took off and drove for five minutes at a high speed to where he could not jump off,' Leal's mother, Raquel Vazquez, told the outlet. 'She hit a dip and that's where I was told, allegedly, he flew off the Jeep and hit his head.' Advertisement A doorbell camera captured the teen lying on the pavement, surrounded by first responders tending to the unconscious teen. Leal suffered a severe head injury in the fall and was rushed to Medical City Arlington, where he remains on life support. The Arlington Police Department said they were made aware of the situation and have launched an investigation. 5 Cellphone and doorbell camera footage captured the teen standing on the back bumper of the Jeep right before the unthinkable happened. CBS Advertisement The 17-year-old was only weeks away from graduation and had scholarship offers to pitch in college. However, doctors fear he may never fully recover from the life-changing head injury he sustained playing 'Senior Assassin.' 'I believe God does full miracles, so I'm asking for full restoration, full restoration of every cell of his body, not the vegetable state that they say,' his mother said. 5 A doorbell camera captured the teen lying on the pavement, surrounded by first responders tending to the unconscious teen. CBS 5 Leal suffered a severe head injury in the fall and needed to be rushed to Medical City Arlington, where he remains on life support. CBS Advertisement In the viral 'Senior Assassin' trend, players download an app that provides the location of targets. Then, armed with water guns, players need to 'kill' their targets by spraying them. In the wake of the tragedy, Leal's father warned other parents that the game can put their child at risk of being seriously injured despite its innocent nature. 'People need to be aware of games like this, as a teenager, you're not aware if something bad is gonna happen,' Jose Leal told CBS News. 'You never think it's going to hit close to home until it does,' Vazquez said. South Grand Prairie High Principal Larry Jones also told parents that students caught playing the game on campus would face punishment, 'including the loss of senior privileges,' according to a statement seen by CBS. School districts and police departments across the US have previously warned that the game could have deadly consequences following a series of incidents involving players. 5 Leal's father is urging other parents that the game can put their child at risk of being seriously injured despite its innocent nature. GoFundMe In addition to seeing participants suspiciously hiding around town and frequently trespassing on other people's property, the use of water guns can produce deadly consequences if bystanders suspect the weapon is real. Advertisement Last June, a high school senior in Kansas was left paralyzed from the waist down when a furious father shot him in a Walmart parking lot after the teen fired a toy gun at the man's daughter during a game of 'Senior Assassin.' The single shot left the teen with severe injuries, as it 'punctured his duodenum (upper part of the small intestine) and damaged his spinal cord, causing loss of sensation from the waist down,' his parents said at the time. 'The bullet caused significant damage to his body, necessitating the fusion of his L1, L2, and L3 spinal bones.'
