Apalachee High School students speak at Georgia Capitol to commemorate shooting anniversary

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Layla Contreras, an Apalachee High School graduate and Change for Chee founder, speaks at the State Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 — one year after a deadly shooting at the school.

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

Thursday marks one year since the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County that took the lives of two teachers and two students. Students and recent graduates who survived the shooting spoke at the Georgia Capitol to commemorate the occasion. 

Kyra McConatha was a senior at Apalachee High School when she heard shots ring out in the hallway. She says she texted her family goodbye while on lockdown.

“The minutes we sat there in the dark, hot, compacted classroom felt like hours waiting for someone to come in and rescue us," she said. "I have never been put into such a tragic, traumatizing, evil situation."

McConatha said the trauma from the shooting continues to impact her as a college student. 

Meanwhile the accused shooter and his father are awaiting trials for the incident. The shooting inspired a new school safety law in Georgia that expands collaboration between schools and law enforcement. 

The Georgia House of Representatives also passed House Bill 79, which would give a $300 tax credit for safe gun storage devices last session. The bill was stalled in the Senate. 

Democratic state Rep. Michelle Au supported HB 79, and has led the effort behind a separate bill that would require safe storage devices in households with children. 

"I think that in hearing stories of students like this, who've been affected by an improperly stored firearm in which the shooter was just 14 years old, it is natural to ask, 'How could this happen?'" she said at the news conference. "How could a 14-year-old get access to this weapon unsupervised? What is a basic thing, a concrete solution that we have to prevent this from happening again?"  

Republican state Sen. Frank Ginn, who represents part of Barrow County, said he would vote for HB 79 if it makes it to the Senate floor again next session. 

"I know there's a lot of things that we can do to help improve safe storage on firearms," he said. "I would support the tax credit for those that want to have a safe or some way to for their firearm. I don't want to see that we'd take anything away from somebody's Second Amendment right."