The mother of one of the victims shot Tuesday at a Kennesaw FedEx distribution plant said her son is lucky to be alive.
“When the FBI interviewed him, they told us about all the ammo and homemade bombs (the shooter) had,” Theresia Sutton said Thursday. Her 19-year-old son, Brandyn Stonebraker, was among six FedEx employees shot by Geddy Lee Kramer. “(Kramer) had a lot more planned than he carried out,” Sutton said.
Stonebraker was released from Kennestone Hospital Wednesday and is recovering at home, but his mother said he’s not ready to speak with reporters.
A search warrant released by the Cobb County Magistrate Court confirms police found an ammunition can containing 55 12-gauge shotgun shells in Kramer’s 2006 burgundy Honda, registered to his father, Scott Kramer. Investigators also located maps and a note inside the vehicle, but it’s not known whether those items were connected to the shooting.
Sutton said her son works as a package handler and sorter at FedEx, the same job Kramer had, but they worked on different crews and weren’t acquainted. Stonebraker was shot in the abdomen and leg as he was fleeing the sprawling facility after someone radioed the loading dock telling everyone to get out.
According to his mother, Stonebraker didn’t even know he had been shot.
“He got into his car and then saw he was bleeding everywhere,” Sutton said.
Investigators told Stonebraker he was fortunate to be hit by birdshot, typically used to hunt small game.
It’s not known what kind of shells struck security guard Christopher Sparkman, the most seriously injured of the six victims.
The Army veteran’s wife released a statement Thursday, her first comments since the shooting.
“We have been overwhelmed by the show of support from the community,” Jamie Lynn Sparkman said. “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.”
It was the third surgery for the 28-year-old newlywed. Sparkman, who lives in Canton, was shot in the stomach from less than 3 feet away and underwent two emergency surgeries Tuesday. His father, Larry Sparkman, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution his son likely will be taken off a ventilator next week.
Two other victims remained at Kennestone Hospital Thursday, Marietta police spokesman David Baldwin said. A 52-year-old woman was listed in stable condition and a 22-year-old man was upgraded from stable to good condition. Their names were not released.
Stonebraker’s wounds will heal, his mother said, but she worries how the shooting will affect him.
“Right now he’s putting up a brave front,” Sutton said. “But something like this is so traumatic, you can’t help but worry.”
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