ATLANTA — A Fulton County assistant district attorney is alert and recovering in a hospital after a double shooting Friday.
April McConnell was among two people shot inside a car on Fairway Circle in southwest Atlanta. Police confirmed a few hours later to Channel 2's Ryan Young that the suspect in the shooting was McConnell's husband, Trenard McConnell.
Police located a vehicle possibly involved in the shooting on Mallory Road near Forest Lawn Cemetery on Friday afternoon.
Trenard McConnell was discovered dead next to a pond at the cemetery a short time later, sources told Channel 2 investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer.
Investigators believe Trenard McConnell shot himself with a handgun.
Only Channel 2 Action News was there as officers worked late into the night Friday, sending a dive team into the pond, eventually recovering the gun believed to be used in the shooting.
Homicide detectives said McConnell possibly ambushed the victims as they sat in the car.
They said April McConnell was shot multiple times. The man with her, identified as Levon Hailey, was shot once in the face.
Police sources tell Channel 2's Liz Artz that McConnell is conscious and answering questions with head nods Saturday afternoon.
"Multiple shots were fired, we believe there was only one perpetrator. The window of the vehicle was blown out," said Atlanta police Capt. Paul Guerrucci said. "Neither (of the) victims are in a position where they can tell us what happened, so there's a lot of unknowns at this time."
Authorities said April McConnell filed for divorce on Monday and there was no protective order.
"We do believe this incident, based on our investigation so far, was possibly domestic-related," Guerruci said.
Those that were close to the McConnells said they were high school sweethearts and had been married only a couple of years.
"I think it's out of character. This is not the type of person I see on a monthly even biweekly basis," said Lawrence Riddle, a family friend of the McConnells.
Channel 2 Action News has learned April McConnell was an Emory University graduate who most recently worked on prosecution cases related to the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating scandal.
Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts released a statement on the shooting:
It is with deep sadness that I learned yesterday of the shooting incident involving Fulton County District Attorney April McConnell and the unnamed victim who was also present at the scene. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, District Attorney Paul Howard and his staff. This is tragic and the irony is not lost on me that just a few days before, Governor Nathan Deal was signing legislation that dramatically changed our state's gun laws. While I respect the constitutional right that allows citizens to "bear arms," this horrible incident reminds us that we must be more thoughtful about enacting public policy like the recent law to ensure that it strikes a truly responsible and fair balance between protecting the rights of those who carry guns and the rights of those who choose not to.