Sheriff: Mom, son shot with gel pellet gun at Clayton grocery store

The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said a mother and son were shot with an Orbeez gun at a Clayton grocery store on Saturday.

Posted 9:16 p.m. Mar 19, 2022 — Updated 1:54 a.m. Mar 20, 2022

CLAYTON, N.C. — The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said a mother and son were shot with an Orbeez gun at a Clayton grocery store on Saturday.

Authorities responded at 1:25 p.m. to the Harris Teeter at the intersection of Highway 42 and Buffalo Road.

The mother told deputies that she and her son were walking into the store when they were shot with the Orbeez gun.

Both were shot in the face and back and had minor injuries. The sheriff's office said there were seven juveniles involved, although only one shot the gun. The guns shoot water-filled, gel-like balls called Orbeez.

Investigators are determining if juvenile petitions will be filed.

In parts of the U.S., authorities are warning social media users not to take part in a new TikTok trend called the 'Orbeez Challenge.' Meanwhile, Apex police said they've received a number of reports of being shot with a BB gun, also stemming from a TikTok challenge.

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