A night of celebration ended in horror after two gunmen opened fire outside a Sweet 16 venue. Six teens were rushed to the hospital after being shot in what police are calling gang–related violence.

One of those teens is the niece of Andre T. Mitchell-Mann.

“She is the worst of the six victims,” said Mitchell-Mann. “She got shot actually three times. She got struck once in her chest, once above her waist and another bullet in her knee.”

His 15-year-old niece was standing outside waiting for her Uber to go home when the two gunmen opened fire more than 15 times.

“I watched her be born,” said Mitchell-Mann. “I watched her grow. Never did I imagine that I would see her in this predicament.”

Mitchell-Mann has been a leader in gun violence prevention for two decades. Back in 2022, he was appointed as the city’s first gun violence czar.

“People should not have to worry about violence happening at a Sweet 16,” said Mitchell-Mann. “So what happened this weekend was a mass shooting. Make no mistake about it, it requires mass resources, and we need to continue to accelerate on the work that's already being done.”

The police say they are still searching for the shooters, while all six of the teenagers continue to recover.

“Our hearts are broken,” said Mitchell-Mann. “Our hearts go out to them. I wish them a speedy recovery. My niece, especially, she's a very strong young girl. I'm so proud of her. But she will also have a long way to get back to forms of normalcy.”