Clerk shot in head faces tough journey

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Marcella “Marcy” Birnell is still recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was shot as she worked an overnight shift at Village Pantry in late October 2011.

“The progress she has made is truly an act of God,” said Theresia Whitfield, a close family friend. “His healing hand on her has brought her to this place.”

Birnell is learning to walk and talk again. She is also working to determine a nickel from a dime.

“She will never be Marcy again,” Whitfield said.

Since the shooting, the store at 86th Street and Ditch Road where she worked has been under the microscope. More of the focus has been placed on the owners of the Village Pantry. Some criticize the company for not having proper security measures in place.

The Indiana Department of Labor and 24-hour store owners met in a closed-door meeting to discuss ways to improve safety. Family members of those who have been killed or severely hurt in convenience store robberies were not allowed in the meeting. However, the family members did receive an invitation to another meeting Thursday night.

“It’s our feeling that decision has already been made," Whitfield said. “This forum is a just a public spectacle. Maybe that is too strong a word. But they’ve already made their minds up.”

The family of Becky Hough is expected to be in attendance as well. Hough was shot and killed at a Village Pantry on the south side of Indianapolis back in 2009.