Walmart customers shot by SplatRBall gun

Two teens wanted following an incident Monday night in the Waterloo Walmart parking lot are facing charges through the juvenile court system.

Police were on the lookout for a small black Saturn sedan shortly before 8 p.m. Monday after two Walmart customers were struck by projectiles from what they described was some sort of BB gun or pellet gun shot from the car. The customers were not injured in the shooting, but did tell police they were startled.

The suspect vehicle, with two males inside, continued north on Route 3 toward Columbia and was seen turning onto South Main Street in Columbia. It is believed to have continued north into Dupo.

Waterloo police said two juveniles from Dupo were apprehended Tuesday night in connection with the incident, with assistance from the Dupo Police Department.

Police explained that the gun used in this incident was a SplatRBall fully automatic water bead gel ball shooter, which fires off little beads known as Orbeez.

Police around the country are alerting residents to a new “Orbeez Challenge” circulating on social media networks such as TikTok. This challenge encourages teens to video themselves approaching 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.

Waterloo police said they were not sure if Monday’s incident was part of the “Orbeez Challenge,” although the same components were used.

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