Police were called to a property in the 800 block of Autumn Rise Lane in Columbia shortly before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after a child playing basketball outside was apparently struck by projectiles from an airsoft-type gun.

The incident took place about 30 minutes prior to when it was reported to police. The subject who shot the airsoft gun was in a gray Toyota Tacoma, according to the caller, which drove away from the scene.

The child was not injured in the incident.

Police eventually located two suspects, both juveniles from Columbia, who admitted shooting a SplatRBall gun with water-filled gel pellets known as Orbeez at the victim.

Police confiscated the gun and parents of the young victim said they did not wish to pursue charges against the juveniles at this time.

A similar incident took place last week in the Waterloo Walmart parking lot.

Police around the country are alerting residents to a nationwide “Orbeez Challenge” circulating on social media networks such as TikTok. This challenge encourages teens to video themselves approaching random pedestrians and shooting them with the SplatRBall gun, posting the results on TikTok. 

While Orbeez are soft to the touch, police said they can lead to injury and even break the skin when shot from a gun. Some teens have been caught freezing these water gel beads to increase the impact, according to police.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department last week issued a notice alerting the community to this new social media fad.

“These guns shoot the small pellets/beads at 200 feet per second, and when fired at close range can cause serious injuries,” the MCSD said. “Several police departments in the metro east area have handled several of these reports in recent weeks. We are joining other police departments in making the public aware of this matter in the hopes that parents will talk to their teens about the dangers of taking part in this type of activity, and the serious consequences.”

The MCSD warned that criminal charges may be filed for those who participate.

“If you do take part in this challenge/activity, it will result in criminal charges as it is not a game or funny to injure and scare unsuspecting innocent citizens,” the MCSD said. “The charges can range from misdemeanors to felonies and can result in county jail time or prison.”