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FORT HOOD, Texas – Sgt. Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer, was taking her vehicle to be serviced Thursday when the killing began.
Inside the soldier readiness facility at Fort Hood, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire with two pistols, officials said.
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, shouted “Allahu Akhbar!” – “God is great” in Arabic – and emptied as many as six magazines, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said.
Munley, 34, and trained in tactics developed after the Columbine massacre, raced toward the gunfire. She arrived at 1:27 p.m., four minutes after the first 911 call, as Hasan was fleeing, according to official accounts.
Munley rounded a corner and fired twice at Hasan. He fired back and charged at her, according to the accounts. Munley dropped to a protective position and continued firing.
In the exchange, Munley was struck in both thighs and one wrist. Hasan was shot four times, including at least once in the torso.
Hasan, 39, is hospitalized and remained on a ventilator Friday.
By some accounts, other police officers might also have fired at Hasan. Army officials said credit for stopping the gunman belonged primarily to Munley, who remained hospitalized Friday in stable condition.
Her actions quickly made her a hero to colleagues and strangers alike.
“She walked up and engaged him,” Cone said. “It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer.”
“There should be a parade for her all the way to her front door,” neighbor said Brooke Beato, Munley’s neighbor. “There could have been a lot more lives lost. It could have been someone else there first, someone not as well trained, not as brave.”
