Goddard, Kansas — A confrontation sparked by a high school water gun game ended in lifelong consequences for a teenager and prison time for a father, after a Kansas man was sentenced for shooting an 18-year-old senior outside a Walmart in 2024, authorities said.
Ruben Contreras, 49, will spend just over three and a half years in state prison after being convicted of aggravated battery for shooting Anakin Zehring, a high school senior who was participating in a game commonly known as “senior assassin.” The sentencing follows a jury verdict delivered in November 2025.
What began as a school game turned violent
The incident unfolded on May 11, 2024, around 4:45 p.m., at a Walmart on West Kellogg Drive in Goddard. Zehring and two friends had arrived at the store in a blue Chevrolet Spark as part of a popular end-of-year tradition among graduating seniors.
The game, often referred to as “assassins,” involves players using toy or water guns to tag assigned targets.
According to court records, Zehring’s assigned target was Contreras’ daughter, who was at the Walmart with her boyfriend buying supplies for a graduation party. As the teens pulled up, witnesses said the group shouted phrases like “I’m your senior assassin” before Zehring fired a gel blaster, a toy gun that shoots small water-filled polymer beads.
Confusion and confrontation inside the store
Contreras’ daughter and her boyfriend told investigators they did not know the teens and were startled by the incident. After being hit with the gel beads, the couple went inside the store to get away.
A short time later, the boyfriend walked back outside to confront the teens. He told police one of the teens insulted him and challenged him to meet behind the store.
Store employees eventually intervened and ordered the teens to leave the property.
Father arrives after receiving a call
After leaving Walmart, Zehring and his friends walked to a nearby Dairy Queen before returning to their car a few minutes later. During that time, Contreras’ daughter called her father, telling him she had been shot with what she believed was a gun.
Contreras arrived at the parking lot and waited in his vehicle.
As Zehring began driving out of the lot, witnesses said Contreras ran toward the moving car. Zehring slowed down, believing the man was trying to cross the crosswalk.
That assumption proved fatal.
Shot fired through car window
Investigators said Contreras reached the vehicle, pulled a black Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun from his waistband, and fired a single shot through the rear window.
The bullet struck Zehring in the lower back, hitting his kidney and liver.
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“He was screaming that he could not move,” investigators noted in court filings.
The car continued rolling before crashing into nearby shipping containers. Zehring’s two friends fled the scene on foot.
Emergency responders rushed Zehring to a hospital, where doctors determined the gunshot wound had left him paralyzed.
Arrest and courtroom developments
Police found Contreras at the scene with the firearm still on him. He was taken into custody without further incident.
One witness told investigators he heard a loud “pop” and asked Contreras what had happened.
“They shot my daughter,” Contreras reportedly replied.
Contreras was initially charged with attempted murder, but a jury later acquitted him of that charge, convicting him instead on aggravated battery.
Lasting impact on the victim’s family
In the weeks following the shooting, Zehring’s parents created a GoFundMe describing how their son’s life had been permanently altered.
“Our lives changed forever that day,” they wrote, adding that the bullet caused significant damage to his body and ended the normal life he was just beginning as a young adult.
A case raising wider concerns
The case has drawn attention to the dangers surrounding senior assassin-style games, which have prompted warnings from schools and police departments nationwide.
Authorities have repeatedly stressed that toy guns can be mistaken for real weapons, creating volatile and sometimes deadly misunderstandings.
Sentencing closes one chapter, not the pain
With Contreras now sentenced, the criminal case has reached its conclusion, but the impact remains far-reaching. Zehring faces a lifetime of medical care and adjustment, while his family continues navigating the aftermath of a moment that escalated in seconds.
Should games involving imitation weapons be banned outright to prevent tragedies like this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
