Theft Deals Another Blow to Gunshot Victim’s Family

Five months after a 13-year-old girl was accidentally shot in the face by a friend, her family has been dealt another blow--burglars stole her family’s livelihood when they broke into her father’s carpentry shop Friday night.

“It’s been such a rough year,” said John Johannessen, whose daughter, Shanelle, is still recovering from her injuries. She’s able to talk again and can eat soft food, but she still has nerve damage and a crooked smile from the 9-millimeter bullet that tore through her neck, cheek and jaw.

“We had such a close call with my daughter getting shot, it was a hell of a setback. And then this?” Johannessen said.

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He arrived at Johannessen Construction on Via Fabricante about noon Saturday and saw that the metal roll-up door had been bashed in, he said. The thieves took about $30,000 worth of saws, sanders, compressors and other tools from Johannessen and his partner, Derek Perkins.

“This is going to make a hell of a hard Christmas for two families,” Johannessen said. “We’re just trying to survive--pay the rent and take care of our kids.”

The loss is especially painful because the tools weren’t insured. “We were just talking about getting insurance,” he said.

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating.

The business had been open since the spring, although Perkins paired up with him only recently, Johannessen said. They have several carpentry and construction jobs pending, which they’ll have to figure out some way to complete, he said.

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His family’s first trauma came July 18, when Shanelle was visiting a friend in Rancho Santa Margarita. When the 13-year-old friend found the pistol in the house and tried to show it to Shanelle, she fired it accidentally.

In August, Johannessen filed a lawsuit alleging negligence by the girl who fired the shot, her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, who owned the gun. The suit is pending. No criminal charges were filed.

Though her eating and speech have improved, Shanelle is still missing part of the roof of her mouth and faces a series of operations.

“She can’t bite into Big Macs and stuff like that,” and her crooked smile may never straighten, Johannessen said. “When you see her and she’s smiling--to me it breaks your heart. That part of it tears me up.

“At the same time, I’m just really grateful my daughter’s still alive,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse. You have to think of the positives and keep going.”