TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It was just after 10:30 p.m. on New Years Eve, and as millions of people across the globe were anxiously awaiting the clock to strike midnight, Alfredo Briceno and his family docked their boat at Curtis Hixon Park to use the restroom.

Moments later, Briceno said he heard a sound he’d never heard before: bullets whizzing by his ear.

“I’m not going to really forget that,” he said. “Once you hear the sounds of bullets flying past you, it’s a different sound.”

“I’ve heard fireworks, I’ve heard explosions, I’ve heard illegal fireworks, but it’s like somebody threw a metal ball and it flew past you super fast,” Briceno said.

Suddenly, the park became a crime scene.

Tampa police said a security guard was shot following a fight with teens.

“I heard about 8 or 9 [shots],” Briceno said. “The first one that flew past us caught my attention.”

“As soon as we ducked under, that’s when I started hearing the two, three, four going over our heads,” he said.

Briceno said he and his family took cover as his uncle untied their boat so they could escape.

“About a minute after, as we’re pulling out and getting underneath Curtis Hixon bridge, we can see a bunch of people scattering from the bottom of the Glazer Children’s Museum and there’s a bunch of officers running through the park,” he said.

Tampa police said they’re now asking for help from the community to help get justice for the security guard.

“Lastly, I leave you with a call to action,” Major Eric Defelice said. “Last night there were lots of people out here enjoying these festivities.”

“Some people saw things they may think were insignificant, but if they were to have videos — if they have phone videos, if they own a business and they have video from their businesses, or if they just saw something in person, just let us know,” he said.