Texas policewoman is the hero of Fort Hood

The Texas policewoman who ended a gunman's killing spree at the Fort Hood military base in Texas has been hailed as a hero after she confronted Major Nidal Malik Hasan and shot him four times, despite being injured herself in the shoot-out.

Sergeant Kimberly Munley was today praised for her "amazing and aggressive performance" by Fort Hood's commander, Lt Gen Bob Cone. Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, was only a few feet away from Hasan when she opened fire.

Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist, shot dead 13 people and wounded 30 others after opening fire with two handguns in the attack - the deadliest ever on an American military base.

Munley, a 34-year-old civilian police officer stationed at the base, which is the size of a small town, was the first armed person on the scene. She and her partner had been directing traffic just moments before the attack.

After receiving reports of gunfire at the Fort Hood medical centre, Munley (photographed above with the Nashville country star Dierks Bentley) rushed into the building and confronted Hasan as he was turning the corner, Cone said. Munley's training had taught her that "if you act aggressively to take out a shooter you will have less fatalities," he added.

Although Sergeant Munley managed to hit Hasan four times, she was also wounded. Witnesses said she was hit by a bullet which passed through both her legs.

Munley is now in a stable condition in a nearby community hospital. Her profile on Twitter reads: "I live a good life... a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully @ night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone's life."

It was claimed today that Hasan, who is American-born to Jordanian parents, shouted 'Allahu Akbar' - or 'God is great' - as he began his shooting spree. He had not been interviewed by police because he was on a ventilator in intensive care.