The sole survivor of an Edmonton armoured car robbery in which three guards died is out of intensive care, eating solid foods and walking with assistance.

"He's in a lower-grade monitoring ward," Matthew Schuman's fiancée and common-law spouse, Jennifer, told CBC News in an exclusive interview on Monday.

"Realistically, he will be going to, I believe, the Glenrose [Rehabilitation Hospital] anywhere between two weeks to two, three months from now, depending on availability."

Schuman, a part-time employee of G4S who is also a corporal in the Canadian military, was shot in the head during the June 15 robbery that took place while he and four other guards were putting cash into a bank machine on the University of Alberta campus. He underwent surgery to remove the lodged bullet.

Jennifer — who does not want her last name used — says her fiancé was put in a medically induced coma. He surprised everyone on June 17 when he woke up briefly and squeezed Jennifer's hand. He fell back to sleep after that.

Since doctors woke him up on Tuesday, his progress has been remarkable. He can now eat what he wants, sit up and walk with assistance. He still can't talk and communicates with gestures.

While Jennifer believes he won't need to use a wheelchair, she's not certain what the long-term extent of his injuries will be. She doubts he will able to drive again or work as a firefighter, his occupation with the Canadian Forces.

Schuman, 25, worked as a firefighter with the Canadian Forces. (Department of National Defence)

"Will he need a walker? Will he need a cane? I don't know," she said. "The fact that he's moving his legs and walking with assistance is amazing in itself."

Jennifer has told Schuman what happened that night. While he now has "a really good grasp of it," she gets the sense he doesn't remember what happened.

Still, she is encouraged by his progress and says he is happy and grateful to be alive.

"He has surprised us with his drive and his ambition," she said. "He's not taking no for an answer and he wants to get better."

G4S employee Travis Baumgartner, 21, now faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He was arrested the day after the shooting while attempting to enter the United States near Abbotsford, B.C. He is now in custody in Edmonton.

Schuman's co-workers Michelle Shegelski, 26, Brian Ilesic, 35 and Eddie Rejano, 39, died at the scene.

With files from the CBC's Adrienne Lamb