The big picture: The incident mirrors a viral TikTok trend known as the "Orbeez Challenge," which in some cases entails users firing gel-like pellets at people via airsoft rifles or toy guns.

Gel blasters look identical to handguns, shotguns and rifles, making it hard even for officers to tell the difference between ...

Gel guns are considered toy guns and are often used by kids and teens as a prank, with social media postings challenging them to shoot unsuspecting victims, the impact splattering the targets with ...

But this year, Grossman says students are using “Orbeez guns,” which shoot a gel pellet at a “high velocity ... While the pellets are soft and squishy, medical experts say they still ...