Teen shot in head communicates for first time since coming out of coma

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) - A teen who was not expected to survive from being critically wounded in an Oahu, Hawaii, shooting is now communicating again.

Richianna Deguzman, 17, has come a long way since she was shot in the head on June 17 while walking with a group of friends in Ma’ili.

Her mother, Susan Mahiai, has been by her side throughout her grueling recovery.

“She’s not supposed to live, and here she is today,” Mahiai said.

Richianna, known by family and friends as Anna, has spent the last three months at Islands Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation in Honolulu.

She recently emerged fully from her coma.

Mahiai said her daughter eats independently and can count on her hands, but she is still working on walking and talking.

Richianna is also finding new ways to communicate.

“It’s a communication app. So we ask her questions, and then she will press on it and answer yes or no,” Mahiai said.

Police still have not arrested a shooting suspect, but the investigation is ongoing.

Mahiai said she has already forgiven them.

“I know everybody wants justice, but my main focus is on God and Anna,” Mahiai said.

She said she plans to take Anna to church on Sunday, which would be her first public event since the shooting.

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