A teenager is fighting for her life after her stepfather shot her in the head last week.
Fernando Joas was in violation of a protection order when he attempted to break into the home he formerly shared with his estranged wife. According to a relative, the wife was elsewhere in hiding. After failing to break open the back door, Joas went to the front to try to kick open the main door. 19-year-old student Eleanor Diergaart, Joas’ wife’s daughter from a previous relationship, was standing in the doorway calling the police when Joas shot her in the head.
A cousin and a nephew who were hiding in the room pulled the teenager to safety while her stepfather fired another shot through a bedroom window. Joas then shot himself in the head and died immediately.
Relatives have placed the blame squarely on what they see as inaction by the police, who, they allege, failed to respond properly to complaints about previous violations of the protection order, which was issued in another jurisdiction. A family spokesperson claims that because the police prioritised seeking advice from a local Magistrates’ Court over protecting the wife, she was forced to seek refuge elsewhere.
Eleanor Diergaart’s condition was described only as “bad” by a relative.
