TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa police are investigating after they said a 15-year-old was shot outside of a home on New Year’s Day, a 16-year-old was shot in the leg in downtown Tampa and gunfire erupted near Curtis Hixon Park after an altercation between teens and a security guard.

Investigators explained that the security guard suddenly felt pain in his arm and chest and then realized he was shot.

Rachael Parekh said that security guard is her brother, James Portocarrero.

“He had his phone but didn’t have his charger, so that was even more anxiety inducing because it was really hard to get ahold of him,” Parekh said.

Now, she said her brother is OK but has a long journey of healing ahead.

“He has some potential nerve damage in his left hand and they’re waiting to see if his feeling is going to come back or not because he might have to go in and do a follow up surgery,” Parekh explained.

Safe and Sound Hillsborough Executive Director Freddy Barton works with teens firsthand who make school threats and commit gun-related crimes.

News Channel 8 reporter Nicole Rogers asked him, “So we have a 15- year-old shot, a 16-year-old shot, a security guard shot by what police believe are teens, where do we go from here?”

“Unfortunately, this happened Jan. 1,” Barton replied. “In a year where we’re supposed to be celebrating a new year, new beginnings, new change, we’re seeing the same things happening.”

Barton said parents are integral in bringing change.

“Nothing can replace the power of a parent,” he explained. “Having that person that you know will always have your back at the end of the day, but also will guide you from the front, that’s so needed.”

For single parents working multiple jobs, Barton said that is where community matters.

“That’s where the village concept comes in,” he said. “Reach out to someone that you trust so they can also look over your child.”

“Only when we get parents to be parents and only when we get the village to start wrapping their arms around these kids, can we see things happen,” Barton added.

But Barton said there’s a larger problem at hand.

“Our bigger issue is where did these kids get these guns?” he said. “Where did they get them from?”

“That’s always the concern,” Barton continued. “We still need to look at making sure we keep guns out of the hands of kids; that we safeguard our firearms; that we lock them up; that we remove them from access so that we don’t see this problem.”

“Had it been a brawl or a fight, yes it would’ve been a bad thing, but no one would’ve gotten severely hurt like what we just saw,” he said.

The question remains, is there a clear path forward?

“There’s no easy answer to that,” Barton said. “When we get parents and our community members to stand up, that’s one big, huge issue.”

“If we get community to build a relationship with law enforcement and speak up and say something when they see something, that’s a huge issue,” he continued. “If we get the kids who are coming into our program to really understand the consequences of their choices and make better choices and move positively in their lives, that’s another component.”

“When we look at making something positive to do when they’re not in school whether it’s through after school programming; whether it’s through stay and play programs, through pow, through sports, through mentorship, that’s another component,” Barton said. “All of these things need to be put in place. It’s bigger than one organization.”

“It’s bigger than one effort,” he concluded. “Only when everybody comes together, can we really see things happen.”