Local

Security guard condition upgraded to serious after FedEx shooting

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that the security guard critically wounded in the FedEx shooting is out of surgery and is improving.

He was among the six people shot at a Cobb County FedEx warehouse.

Earlier Thursday, a hospital spokesman told Channel 2's Tom Reagan Sparkman's surgery went well and that they are now preparing for organ reconstruction in his abdomen. His condition was upgraded from critical to serious condition Thursday.

Sparkman's father told Channel 2 that doctors expect his son to be off the ventilator by next week. He said his road to recovery may range from three months to a year.

Sparkman's wife released a statement expressing her appreciation for all the support her and her family recieved:

"We have been overwhelmed by the show of support from the community. My husband, Christopher Sparkman, is out of surgery and by the grace of God on the road to recovery. The recovery process will be a long one, but he will have the love and support of his family each step of the way.

I cannot express enough thanks for all the well wishes, prayers and care that Christopher has received. With that said, we ask for you to respect our privacy during this difficult time. We have no additional statements at this time."

The security guard suffered a shotgun blast to the stomach during a workplace shooting Tuesday morning at the FedEx ground facility in Kennesaw.

Police say 19-year-old Geddy Kramer went on a shooting rampage at the FedEx warehouse before killing himself.

Cobb County police said they recovered a note Geddy left behind, but investigators won't say where they found it or what it said. Officers also said they found an ammunition can containing 55 12-gauge shotgun shells in his car.

Doctors at Kennestone are still treating a 52-year-old woman in stable condition and a 22-year-old man, Brandyn Stonebraker, in good condition.

Many wondered if the shooting spree could have been halted if security guard Sparkman was armed. Like many corporate clients, FedEx relied on unarmed contractors.

Brent Brown runs a company that supplies security for large scale clients and he said there’s no guarantee that could have made a difference and the armed vs. unarmed decision often comes down to cost.

“I'm talking simply about the cost of the weapon. There's a tremendous difference between armed and non-armed security, not the least of which is the wage, but a huge part is the training you have to undergo a massive amount of training on a continuous basis,” Brown said.