It hasn't been an easy seven months for the Fulton County assistant district attorney shot multiple times by her estranged husband. But April McConnell continues to progress, get stronger and amaze her family and friends.
This holiday season is a stark reminder of just how close those who love her came to losing McConnell, her father said in an emailed statement Tuesday.
“Our family has special reason to be thankful during this 2014 Thanksgiving season; April McConnell will be celebrating with us,” Kevin Ross, an Atlanta lawyer, said of his daughter. “Last year, we would have taken her presence for granted; this year we do not.”
On April 25, two days after filing for divorce, McConnell and a co-worker were sitting in a car parked in southwest Atlanta when they were shot by Tranard McConnell, the estranged husband of the prosecutor.
Tranard McConnell shot April in the arm, face and back and shot Levon Hailey six times before killing himself. Tranard’s body was found hours later in a south Fulton cemetery.
Hailey's injuries were not as severe. But during the week after the assault, April McConnell underwent six surgeries. After weeks at Grady Memorial Hospital, she was transferred to Shepherd Center for continued recovery, her father told the AJC in May.
In July, McConnell said she didn’t remember her husband shooting her, and learned at the hospital he killed himself the same day he shot her.
"That was surreal," she said about the news of her husband's suicide. After a long pause she continued, "For so many reasons, it didn't have to end this way."
McConnell graduated from the in-patient program at the Shepherd Center in late July, her father said. From August through October, she continued her physical therapy, and earlier this month, she was admitted to a day program at Shepherd, Ross said. It’s likely McConnell will never walk again, but she says she won’t stop trying.
It hasn’t been all work for McConnell, her father said. Her social life has been busy, too. She’s been to concerts, a museum exhibit, church events and restaurants in recent months. Thursday nights means McConnell’s with her friends watching “Scandal.”
“We admire her resiliency, determination and character,” Ross said. “As this long road stretches out in front of her, we are steadfastly holding on to our faith and applying our best efforts to her recovery.”
Recovery continues for McConnell, and for that, her family is thankful.
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