Another teen injured in pellet gun prank; what charges the shooter could face

MILLVILLE, Utah — In Utah, shooting the “Orbeez” gun and hurting someone can come with consequences. Recently, the popular TikTok trend using “Orbeez” guns has left people in Utah hurt.

Capt. Curtis Hooley with the Logan Police Department says the biggest thing right now is to try and educate young people that shooting the Orbeez gun in a way that can be dangerous is not a good idea.

“What one person thinks of as a joke, and it ends up someone is seriously hurt or dead,” said Hooley.

Back on March 5, Hooley said one of his officers was called out to Ridgeline High School for a 17-year-old female who had been shot by an Orbeez gun.

As the female was walking toward her vehicle, another vehicle approached her. Two 16 year-old males were in that vehicle. Hooley says the males asked the female a question, which she ignored.

One of the boys pulled the trigger.

“I mean it hit her just on the edge of the eye,” said Hooley.

Hooley said the male who shot the female was charged with an Class A misdemeanor assault.

He said for now, the make has been referred to juvenile court on that charge, and likely, he’ll face some sort of fine and community service.

John Luthy, Cache County’s attorney, said this isn’t the only case they’ve heard of recently.

“We have had groups of different high schools who we are aware have formed teams, and they meet up and shoot each other; each other’s teams,” said Luthy.

Ashleigh Lopez, a Midvale mom of two young boys said this can lead to a bigger problem.

“You would think, you know, nowadays you would allow your kid to walk to school just like I did when I was a child, but I can’t even have them do that,” said Lopez.

She said you never know when a real gun could make its way into the mix.

“They don’t know how to use something, and then they shoot someone by accident. It just can easily happen to any child,” said Lopez.