Fort Hood officer: family not surprised at heroics

CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (AP) — The stepmother of the police officer who shot an Army psychiatrist suspected of the Ford Hood killing spree said Friday the woman’s heroics are not surprising.

Wanda Barbour told The Star-News of Wilmington she knew Sgt. Kimberly Munley was involved when she heard a female Fort Hood officer had shot and wounded Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, ending the bloodletting on the Texas base.

"When they said a female officer, a little part of me just knew," Barbour told the newspaper before heading to Texas with her husband. "She is a very great person with a great spirit."

Munley arrived at the shooting scene Thursday and began firing at Hasan, who spun and charged at her with a gun in each hand, authorities said.

Munley’s superior, Chuck Medley, told The Associated Press that Munley shot Hasan in the upper torso, stopping him even though she was shot in both thighs and a wrist.

The 34-year-old officer was reported to be recovering and in stable condition Friday.

"We’re just so grateful and thankful to the Lord that she’s safe," Barbour said. "Our hearts just ache for the loss of others, too, and hers, too. She’s still upset about that."

A message left by The Associated Press at the Barbour home was not immediately returned.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, the base commander, said Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire that left 13 dead and 30 wounded.

"She happened to encounter the gunman. In an exchange of gunfire, she was wounded but managed to wound him four times," Cone said. "It was an amazing and aggressive performance by this police officer."

Munley’s father, Dennis Barbour, is a former mayor of Carolina Beach. The coastal town is about 15 miles south of Wilmington.

Wrightsville Beach Police Chief John Carey said Munley, who worked for the force from 2000 to 2002 before moving away from the area, was a petite officer who worked well with others.

"She was a very personable officer. She got along good with everyone," he told the AP. "She wasn’t afraid of anything."

"She was a good shot," Carey said of Munley. "Her abilities and the training that she got here hopefully had a lot to do with preparing her for that situation."

Carey said Munley joined the force in March 2000 as a reserve officer and became a permanent employee in the fall of that year.

Carey said several of his officers, who kept in touch with Munley over the years, spoke with her Friday and were proud of her actions.

"I think everybody here is," he said. "We’re just thankful she was able to intervene."

Dave Spencer, principal at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C., said he knew Munley as a student athlete who excelled in volleyball and softball and was involved in community service before her 1993 graduation.

He said the school planned a brief tribute to her at a Friday night football game. Of her actions, he said, "if you remember the kind of young person she was, you could easily understand it."

He noted, "She’s the type of kid that stands out even 16, 17 years later."

Munley went on to receive her law enforcement certification from Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, N.C., in August 1999.

Ricky Simpson, who trained Munley for her certification, said he recalls her determination and friendly nature.

"She was small in statue, but tremendous heart and tremendous ambition to be an officer," Simpson told the AP.

"Maybe we had some small part," he said of the training program. "She’s certainly a hero, and probably saved a lot more lives."