Victim speaks out after 18 shot, 4 killed in River North mass shooting: EXCLUSIVE

CHICAGO (WLS) -- For the first time, the ABC7 I-Team heard exclusively from one of the victims of last month's mass shooting in River North.

Chicago police said 18 people were shot, four fatally, after a gunman opened fire following a mixtape release party at Artis Restaurant and Lounge.

A local photographer survived and is opening up about what he remembers from that traumatic night.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Christian Loggins, 25, says his life will never be the same after he was shot twice during the mass shooting. He wants people to understand the trauma he experienced and his journey to recovery.

"We walked out for maybe like two seconds and that's when I heard shots going off," Loggins said. "I don't hear gunshots often, but that stood out to me. Like, this sounds really close by. I heard one or two shots, and then by the third shot I ducked down and hit the ground... after that, more shot going off, and then you start hearing the screams, the panic."

A night that was meant to celebrate music, art and culture was turned into terror.

RELATED | $10K reward offered for information after 18 shot, 4 killed in River North mass shooting

Loggins, a Chicago photographer, was excited to see his photos at rapper Mello Buckzz's mixtape release party in River North.

"It was a big night, seeing my work displayed in such a big fashion," Loggins said. "That's something I've always been trying to get into, and I was just happy to be there."

Seconds after leaving the party, a car pulled up and bullets rang out.

Loggins said he shielded a female friend and got them both to the ground.

"She told me that i saved her life that night," Loggins said. "I made her hit the ground the same time I hit the ground... I would say it was instinct."

He said it wasn't until he got up for get help that he realized he couldn't walk. He'd been shot.

"I just remember being carried to the couch, someone wrapped their a shirt around my leg," Loggins said. "I was thinking like, 'Dang. This could be one of my last moments.'"

He reflected on when it sank in that he was a victim of a mass shooting in Chicago.

"I asked a doctor what happened what's going on. They told me 10 people got shot at that point. Then the detectives came in and told me it was 18 and four people had loss their lives, that's when it really sunk in," Loggins said. "It makes you thankful to just be alive after seeing so much of the damage that you can't believe you made it out of that."

READ MORE | Family, friends say goodbye to hair stylist killed in River North mass shooting: 'She was beautiful'

Loggins was shot in his left hand and his right leg. An X-ray image showed where the bullet got stuck in his thigh and had to be removed.

Now he can't walk on his own, and his life as a photographer has been put on hold.

"I'm a victim, but I'm also a real person," Loggins said. "I have a real career, I have friends, I have family. I have a job... Once the news cycle is over this story... it's like alright those people are okay... This is trauma, this is trauma. This really affects your mental."

Loggins just started physical therapy Wednesday and he's looking for a mental health therapist to deal with the trauma.

He can't work because of his injuries. His friends have created a GoFundMe page to help with his recovery.

Chicago police said no one is in custody for the shooting.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood