The family of a teen who died suddenly says he may have been a target of the "Secret Assassin" TikTok trend. The boy was chased by fellow students who came to his home while his dad was at work, according to relatives.
A Pennslyvania teen who suddenly died after being chased by fellow students may have been the target of "Senior Assassin," a controversial TikTok trend, according to his family.
Justin Johnson, 16, was found unconscious on the floor of his family's home last week. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Autopsy results released this week said the teen died from complications of sickle cell disease and the heart ailment cardiomyopathy.
Orville Johnson found his son after coming home from work. The elder Johnson called 911, then started CPR as the operator coached him, police said. The dad said Justin had called him at work, out of breath, and said he had been chased by students who came to the door and called him outside.
Suveillance video showed the teen being chased by a group of boys holding what looked like weapons.
At a press conference Wednesday, the family and their new attorney said they want answers for the teen's death, and the "Senior Assassin" TikTok trend may have played a role, they said.
“It's supposed to be a game that involves individuals trying to tag other individuals with water guns or pellet guns or paintball guns,” said lawyer Nick Johnson (no relation).
"We don’t know the extent of the knowledge that the school may have known about this game that maybe kids were playing," the attorney said.
"We don’t know if this was part of some kind of a hazing ritual that the football team may have had, because Justin wants to be on the football team, and we believe that the individuals who came to the home were part of the football team. Those are questions we don’t know," said the family's lawyer.
The coroner ruled the death was due to natural causes. Orville Johnson said his son, because of his sickle cell disease, was not supposed to overtax himself physically. But the teen had been doing weight-training because he wanted to try out for the football team, his family said.
The teen's death drew extensive social media attention after audio of the surveillance video appeared to capture one of the pursuing students yell, "Where the f**k did he go?" Another voice apparently said, "He went to f***ing Africa!"
The Central Dauphin School District issued a statement Monday about Justin's death.
The district "is saddened to hear about the passing of Justin Johnson, a 10th grade student at Central Dauphin High School.
"We understand that the circumstances around Justin’s death have not been determined, however there are social media reports that indicated that Justin was subjected to racial insensitivity from classmates," the statement said.
"Please understand that this type of behavior is not consistent with our core values and our vision of making sure everyone is valued and connected. Hate speech or any behavior that denigrates another person's rights will not be tolerated and is not consistent with the mission, vision, and values of CDSD," the statement concluded.
Police departments across the country have recently warned high schoolers against playing "Senior Assassin," during which teens wear hoodies and masks and use water guns to "eliminate" other players until only one remains standing.
Law enforcement agencies said they've already received calls from residents who thought the game was a real-life crime in progress. Water guns can also look disturbing real, authorities said.
Police in suburban Chicago recently issued a public warning after a restaurant patron, who was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, saw the game being played and thought it was a clear danger.
The adult "mistook the situation for a genuine threat, and the situation could have escalated quickly. The gravity of the situation cannot be emphasized enough; it had the potential to lead to serious consequences," the Gurnee Police Department said on Facebook.
The Lower Paxton Township Police Department says the investigation continues into Justin Johnson's death. Anyone with video or information is asked to contact officers at 717-558-5900.
