The woman who stopped a mass murderer
posted at 12:55 pm on November 6, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
All of us have spent a lot of time looking into the actions, motivations, and background of the man who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood and wounded dozens of others. The New York Daily News gives us a look at the civilian responder who stopped the carnage, taking a bullet herself in the process. The quick and decisive actions of Police Sergeant Kimberly Munley saved lives and gives an object lesson in the value of aggressive action against rampagers:
The hero cop who ended the bloody rampage at Fort Hood had been directing traffic moments before she confronted the gunman and pumped four bullets into him despite being shot herself.
Civilian police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday.
Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said. …
Cone said Munley’s aggressive response training taught her that “if you act aggressively to take out a shooter you will have less fatalities.”
That is a good lesson to remember. The attacker in this case gave little consideration to his personal security, by all accounts, and was not going to stop until someone stopped him. Munley understood this and went against every human survival instinct to pursue a confrontation with a murderous lunatic — and nearly got killed for her efforts. Her heroism saved lives at Fort Hood.
Munley will survive her wounds. Like the shooter, the hospital has stabilized her condition, and she spent last evening checking to see what the extent of the rampage was. Munley deserves the deep appreciation of the nation for her gallantry in action. (via Atlas Shrugs)
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Medal of Honor???
Are you kidding me?
She did her job. Just like thousands of soldiers did their jobs,and we don’t give away thousands of Medals of Honor.
Stop looking for women to prop up as heroes, it is almost as bad as the libs. She was right by the guy and shot him 4 times and he lived. Yeah, she did good. She did not do great. She deserves kudos but don’t turn her into the second coming of Jessica Lynch (who turned out to be ordinary). The same affirmative action that allowed this Muslim to be in a position to kill GIs is now driving some of you to worship this female cop. EXACT SAME MOTIVE, just different application.
Spartacus on November 6, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Internal e-mail, no link.
BadgerHawk on November 6, 2009 at 1:21 PM
God Bless you Sgt Munley and Thank You, I pray for your complete recovery.
Dr Evil on November 6, 2009 at 1:21 PM
I just posted my own appreciation of Officer Munley, but I see Ed beat me to it. It can’t be said enough, so I’m happy to say it again. May the human race be judged by its Kimberly Munleys.
Doctor Zero on November 6, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Turns out that Hasan worked for Obama’s DHS.
faraway on November 6, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Bravo! You go girl :)
gophergirl on November 6, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Great story!
jennifernaz on November 6, 2009 at 1:22 PM
God bless you Kimberly. Many are praying for your recovery, and we are grateful.
Wow, just wow. American women rock!
Cody1991 on November 6, 2009 at 1:22 PM
Supposedly Hasan is on a ventilator because he is paralized. Sounds like her grouping hit center mass.
BohicaTwentyTwo on November 6, 2009 at 1:22 PM
I ♥ Sgt. Kimberly Munley!
She did the brave thing and got proactive; unlike what happened in Columbine with the “brave” men who “secured the perimeter” and hid for hours while those tools did their evil. That still pisses me off!
OK, calming down and bringing it back on subject, I pray to God the Sargent recovers and gets all the praise she deserves.
yubley on November 6, 2009 at 1:22 PM
Ok, this is making me cry. Thank God she was there, and was so brave and well-trained. In the old days (when I was a kid), the media would have made her into a legend, but they won’t because they don’t like heroes anymore, even female ones. The media only like women as victims.
juliesa on November 6, 2009 at 1:22 PM
It’s not a civilian award. None of the heroes who’ve earned the nation’s highest award award in the Global War on Terror have lived to receive it.
BadgerHawk on November 6, 2009 at 1:23 PM
I’m glad she was armed. Guns are good I guess.
faraway on November 6, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Gotta love the irony.
Thank you and God bless you, Sgt. Munley!
SouperConservative on November 6, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Geez, what do you even say to that?
Thank you Officer Munley. You kept it from being worse and are my Hero of the Month. Speedy recovery and back to duty for ya.
hawkdriver on November 6, 2009 at 1:24 PM
Presidential Medal of Freedom
faraway on November 6, 2009 at 1:24 PM
Wishing a full recovery for Sergeant Munley. A greatful nation and the folks in harms way are proud of your actions.
Rovin on November 6, 2009 at 1:25 PM
Sad but true unfortunately.
Johnnyreb on November 6, 2009 at 1:25 PM
How terrible — shot not only by an infidel, but a woman. Thank you Sgt Munley and God bless you.
msactionjackson on November 6, 2009 at 1:25 PM
Their ladies can wear them hoods, but our girls will strap on the 45s…..
jbh45 on November 6, 2009 at 1:25 PM
I wonder if she watches Fox News. What then?
faraway on November 6, 2009 at 1:26 PM
My anti-gun co-worker told me how great it was that Munley stopped him from doing further harm. I want so badly to point out that the reason she did so is because of those “evil” guns that she wants banned.
The stupid…it burns!
jennifernaz on November 6, 2009 at 1:26 PM
She and her husband look like something out of
“Raising Arizona” but all kidding aside, she is a hero.
RobCon on November 6, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Doubt it. I think he has a policy of not having his picture taken with anybody who has bigger balls than his.
Aviator on November 6, 2009 at 1:27 PM
I think the Medal of Honor thing was said in jest but, COME ON! She did a lot more than “her job.” Could you at least acknowledge that directing traffic doesn’t usually involve taking down somebody on a killing spree?
highhopes on November 6, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Redneck Woman on November 6, 2009 at 1:12 PM
Probably because she, unlike the “combat ready soldiers” was carrying a loaded weapon at the time.
PJ Emeritus on November 6, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Sarah Palin, does this woman deserve a free book?
You betcha!
RobCon on November 6, 2009 at 1:28 PM
Thankyou and Good shootin officer Munley!
Yes American Women more balls than many of her men Thanks officer!
Can she get a peace prize or something?
dhunter on November 6, 2009 at 1:28 PM
She is who we will remember and highlight on this day…much in the same way we did the FDNY & NYPD on 9/11.
I’m thankful for people like this in my country.
MechEng5by5 on November 6, 2009 at 1:28 PM
Thank you Sgt. Kimberly Munley. Your country is grateful to you, and so very very proud.
Niere on November 6, 2009 at 1:28 PM
Hey Barry!
Beer summit and Medal of Freedom…..NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RobCon on November 6, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Munley certainly deserves our gratitude and respect.
Slightly off-topic, but only a little: I intend no disrespect to those responding to this heinous act, but 3 minutes is an eternity for unarmed people under fire from automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Don’t be vulnerable, be armed.
mr.blacksheep on November 6, 2009 at 1:29 PM
She got shot, you idiot. I’d say she did more than great, she did f***ing great… in fact, I’m gonna say it a few more times – great, great, great, great, great. F***ing great. She saved an unknown number of lives.
Hero.
LibTired on November 6, 2009 at 1:29 PM
The woman who stopped an Islamic terrorist killing US soldiers on American soil.
Hening on November 6, 2009 at 1:29 PM
God bless her.
bessex on November 6, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more?
Discuss…
RobCon on November 6, 2009 at 1:30 PM
God bless you and I pray for your speedy recovery Sergeant Munley. You are an American patriot of the finest tradition.
csdeven on November 6, 2009 at 1:30 PM
And by the way, spart, he “lived” is a very nice way of putting it. He’s on a ventilator. God bless Sergeant Kim Munley. And may all terrorist scum “live” like Hasan is “living”.
LibTired on November 6, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Great statement. My lady gave up her .45 for a .357. Less rounds but more reliable and simpler.
Kimberly, get well soon, and I’ll say thanks a second time.
CBP on November 6, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Oh no.
Orlando office building gunman on the loose
ElectricPhase on November 6, 2009 at 1:31 PM
++
faraway on November 6, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Thank you, brave lady.
GnuBreed on November 6, 2009 at 1:31 PM
What if he doesn’t turn out to be crazy Ed?
BL@KBIRD on November 6, 2009 at 1:32 PM
I hope this worthless jihadi scumbag lives and is hanged by the military. I am also appalled at B. Hussien Obama’s continued lack of concern for our brave young soldiers.
TrickyDick on November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Sad news — I understand this woman won\’t be able to buy herself a drink anywhere near Ft. Hood for the indefinite future.
cthulhu on November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Yes it is. When I do my first day of class chat with my students I tell them that although the conventional wisdom is to hide and hope a shooter will leave you alone, I don’t recommend doing that–there are 40 of us in the room, and we all have things we can throw at someone who comes into the room. That’s sure as heck what I’ll be doing.
Thanks, Stg. Munley. Speedy recovery and God Bless.
Bob's Kid on November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
God bless you Sgt. Munley. The same goes for all peace officers that risk their lives to protect us.
pugwriter on November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
So, now we are in the position of using police to defend soldiers against terrorists on military posts.
bring back the .45 cal.
ted c on November 6, 2009 at 1:34 PM
It is ironic that on a military base that the traffic cop is armed but all the trained soldiers are not. If the military would have trusted their own soldiers with being armed then maybe a soldier that was at the site could have stopped this murderer before Sgt Munley who had to run from traffic duties to the scene. This is not to denigrate the heroism of Sgt Munley.
Soldiers are also trained in active shooter to run to confront.
Thank God that Sgt Munley was trained in active shooter so that a fiasco like Columbine where the police waited for enough backup and students died waiting.
RAH on November 6, 2009 at 1:34 PM
cthulhu on November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
and let it be so…
ted c on November 6, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Obviously Pinnochio deserves the Peace Prize because he is not sending 40,000 U.S. troops to the Afgahnistan war zone thus saving or creating thousands of Muslim Jihadis.
Sheeeesh Thats’ an easy one!
dhunter on November 6, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Well put.
skydaddy on November 6, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Good job, now lets arm and reinforce our troops that are getting shot at too.
And, take no prisoners because pelosi would give them rights and condo and a lawyer to sue us all for being detained.
workingforpigs on November 6, 2009 at 1:35 PM
God Bless Sgt Munley!
olesparkie on November 6, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Sad news — I understand this woman won\’t be able to buy herself a drink anywhere
near Ft. Hoodfor the indefinite future.cthulhu on November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
:)
uknowmorethanme on November 6, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Warriors are known by their actions – not their words.
Red Bennet on November 6, 2009 at 1:36 PM
Good job, sarge. Way to protect and serve! Speedy recovery and take the counseling if it’s offered. It’ll help you deal.
Driefromseattle on November 6, 2009 at 1:36 PM
That a peace prize from superior firepower there for her.
bessex on November 6, 2009 at 1:36 PM
It’s a training base. It was a graduation ceremony. I wouldn’t have expected anyone to be armed except the MPs and traffic cops. Believe it or not, soldiers don’t wear full combat load 24/7.
skydaddy on November 6, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Excuse me. She is a POLICE OFFICER, not a crossing guard. She, as all other police officers are trained to handle these types of situations. We all hope we never have to, but we all can. Yes what she did was outstanding, but if you ask her, she will probably tell you it wasn’t anything special, she was just doing her job.
State Trooper Ret.
Nuts4koi on November 6, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Expected headlines from the MSM…White, trigger-happy-cop shoots minority, middle eastern man four times.
orlandocajun on November 6, 2009 at 1:38 PM
skydaddy on November 6, 2009 at 1:37 PM
I know, but it begs the question on whether soldiers should be allowed to C&C given this incident.
ted c on November 6, 2009 at 1:39 PM
Maybe Sgt Munley could give the Commander-of-Chief lessons in ‘how to act decisively’?
olesparkie on November 6, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Sweety, we don’t have our weapons on base unless we’re MPs or going to the range. Now, if you want us to go the charge him till he runs out of ammo and lets see, hmmm, he had two pistols with 15 round mags, 5 and 5 carry the one, yep, that would have been 30 soldiers before he emptied. That’s not counting the secondary hits that go through the first person and oh yeah, if he’s quick and has more mags, he reloads.
Again, folks who aren’t familiar with the military, we do not walk around all day with our weapons. And once someone starts freaking blasting away when we’re unarmed, we have about the same chance of you of surviving the attack. In The States, we rely on the men and women of law enforcement to protect us too.
It’s just great that a very professional officer like Officer Munley got there with her weapon. OH, that’s right, this thread started off as praising her actions.
For Pete’s sake.
hawkdriver on November 6, 2009 at 1:41 PM
baldilocks on November 6, 2009 at 1:42 PM
It is an interesting question actually. We could consider Hasan to be a traitor engaged in warfare against the United States – but if stateside military and civilian support staff are legitimate targets, aren’t *any* adult male members of tribes we are fighting against in Afghanistan/Iraq also?
We have this odd double standard right now where if weapons are not found on the dead when the press gets there, we’ve killed civilians – but attacking any American that a jihadi can get his hands on is an act of war.
I do tend to lean towards calling Hasan and his ilk traitors, not terrorists, but I don’t see this administration bringing him up on treason charges.
18-1 on November 6, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Oops.
baldilocks on November 6, 2009 at 1:42 PM
And that is a lesson that can be applied to all situations. Years ago I heard a stewardess talk about a crash landing, where everyone survived. The majority of people were stunned and just sat there and ignored the stewardesses orders to evacuate immediately. Those that did follow orders survived. Those who didn’t, died when the plane exploded in flames.
There were other examples given where people just failed to react at all and they died as a result when they should have survived.
Blake on November 6, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Do you think this lady will have to pay for a beer on Fort Hood….ever?.
How about “Sgt. Munley Small Arms Range”
Got a nice ring to it.
BobMbx on November 6, 2009 at 1:43 PM
She wouldn’t get it anyway since she’s not in the military.
Feeling inadequate? That’s your problem.
God bless Sgt. Munley.
baldilocks on November 6, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Thank, Sgt. Munley! You, m’am, are a hero!
I’m sure Obama will commence a beer summit to find out why she hates muslims. (Not kidding)
SouthernGent on November 6, 2009 at 1:45 PM
Sniper kills 1, wounds 20 at military base
October 27, 1995
One soldier was killed and 20 others were hurt Friday when a sniper opened fire on an athletic field at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The sniper allegedly fired on his unit as they prepared to start a morning run, a Fort Bragg spokesman said.
Moments after the soldier opened fire from a wooded area, a group of unarmed Special Forces soldiers wrestled him to the ground. “We came under fire and we moved into the tree line because we realized we were the only ones who could do anything about it,” said Staff Sgt. Anthony Minor.
Minor said that the gunman, who was firing at them, turned away. And as he did, he and Sgt. Edward Mongold tackled the man. “It was a fight for his life,” Minor said. “It was a fight for our lives.”
Minor, Mongold and several other soldiers disarmed the shooter and held him for the military police.
Army officials have identified the shooting suspect as 26- year-old Sgt. William J. Kreutzer, an infantry squad leader in the Second Brigade. Kreutzer’s hometown is listed as Washington, D.C.
The dead soldier has been identified as 38-year-old Major Stephen Mark Badger, the intelligence officer for the Second Brigade. His hometown was not available, but his place of birth was Salt Lake City, Utah.
Maj. Rivers Johnson said about 1,300 troops from the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 82nd Airborne were gathered at Towle Stadium at 6:30 a.m. EDT, preparing to start a 4-mile run, when shots rang out from the woods nearby.
Authorities from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division said three weapons were found when the suspect was apprehended. They included a 9mm pistol, a .22-caliber rifle, and a AR-15 rifle, the civilian equivalent of the M-16 assault rifle. Johnson said soldiers at the fort do not ordinarily carry Army-issued weapons.
Johnson would not speculate on a motive for the shooting.
A soldier who was running nearby at the time of the incident said that he heard shots and that it appeared they were being fired at the staff of the 2nd Infantry Brigade.
A videotape shot by a soldier as the sniping incident began showed the troops scrambling for cover, many of them attempting to help the wounded reach safety.
Maj. Victor Modestor, chief of surgery at Womack Army Hospital at the fort, said four of the soldiers were taken into surgery. Two were in critical condition and the two others were stable.
A soldier who suffered paralysis when he was shot in the neck was transported to Duke Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. Another soldier suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was in stable condition, Modesto said. Twelve other soldiers were listed in stable condition with gunshot wounds. Two other soldiers were treated for minor injuries.
The 2nd Brigade had just assumed mission status, said Johnson, meaning they would be the first brigade of the 82nd Airborne to go into action if a crisis occurred within the next three months
ted c on November 6, 2009 at 1:46 PM
Hey, baldi! Nice to see you around. Haven’t been here much myself lately, but it’s always great to see you.
Cheers!
Cody1991 on November 6, 2009 at 1:46 PM
I called my congressional delegation and suggested a Congressional award. After all, Congress is always giving away medals to PC folk for pretty much doing nothing. Here we have a real hero.
JIMV on November 6, 2009 at 1:46 PM
Thank you Police Sergeant Kimberly Munley.
rbj on November 6, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Very fitting that the fanatic that belongs to a religion that suppresses women was stopped…. by a woman!!!! I wish her well…
DL13 on November 6, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Please Hot Air commenters, our soldiers do not need to be under arms all the time. It’s like the armoring of our vehicles. The better the armor, they just make a bigger bomb. Even if every soldier on every post walked around with their weapon all day, a determined killer could still do a lot of damage before someone could react. Again, stateside, we, like you, rely of law enforcement to keep us safe.
hawkdriver on November 6, 2009 at 1:48 PM
My feeling on women in traditionally “mens” professions, such as police, fire, or military, has always been the same. Can you do the job? Can you meet the standards? And I mean THE standards, not a set of lower standards, with the only exception being the body fat measurements (simple fact, women are just built different). You do those, you are fine in my book.
Obviously Sgt. Munley passed those standards with flying colors.
JamesLee on November 6, 2009 at 1:48 PM
God bless, and I pray for your speedy recovery!
deidre on November 6, 2009 at 1:48 PM
I’m sorry, I got my medals mixed up (I’m not American), I meant whatever the highest civilian honor is (the one that Obama mentioned before he got around to saying anything about the massacre at Fort Hood).
BTW, I’m p*ssed off that you think I suggested that she should be recognized because she’s a woman. I was saying that she should be recognized for taking the guy down single-handedly, having raced to the scene from directing traffic. I would have said the same thing if the cop’s name was Ken Munley.
ProfessorMiao on November 6, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Here here. Right on.
ProfessorMiao on November 6, 2009 at 1:50 PM
***
May God return this brave policewoman to full health soon.
***
I have some question on how she hit the shooter 4 times and he is still alive. Was she carrying a 9mm pistol with full metal jacket (Geneva Convention approved ammo) that is more likely to wound rather than kill?
***
Was she allowed to use much more effective hollow point or more effective killing type of ammo? Would the shooter have still been alive if it were .45 Colt hollow point rounds instead of 9mm?
***
Political Correctness gets people killed.
***
John Bibb
***
rocketman on November 6, 2009 at 1:50 PM
:) Better you said that than me. I noticed it, though.
AnninCA on November 6, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Glad she is alright!
FontanaConservative on November 6, 2009 at 1:51 PM
rely “on”…
hawkdriver on November 6, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Their ladies can wear them hoods, but our girls will strap on the 45s…..
jbh45 on November 6, 2009 at 1:25 PM
///
mmm,mmm,mmm!
ohiobabe on November 6, 2009 at 1:53 PM
CNN Reports:
“Stay with us, after the break we’ll from two women as they recount their “Moments Under Fire”. Sec. State Clinton and Police Sgt. Munley will talk about their experiences coming under fire in the performance of their duties…..”
BobMbx on November 6, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Hasan paralyzed.
It is against my religion to laugh at the misfortune of enemies so I won’t laugh. Much.
baldilocks on November 6, 2009 at 1:54 PM
I had heard unconfirmed that he was wearing armor. That would make her shots hit arms, legs, and if he is paralyzed, maybe she got a side-shot in which hit his spine.
JamesLee on November 6, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Apropos, the Woman Hasan’s ideology allows to be only 3/5ths as worthy as a him, took back a bit more than her other 2/5ths worth with her own ideology.
Speakup on November 6, 2009 at 1:55 PM
Anybody recall the name of the lady that stopped the shooting in a Colorado church two or three years ago?
nice catch
Way to go Sgt. Munley, here’s to a speedy recovery.
DanMan on November 6, 2009 at 1:57 PM
“Obviously Sgt. Munley passed those standards with flying colors.”
4 shots, close range, no kill. Not that many cops are any better.
She also looks like she is about 5’2″, unless that guy in the picture was huge.
I would fell safer if my cops were 6′ tall white guys. That way I know that there was NO affirmative action (discrimination as an unintended consequence of anti-discrimination laws).
Spartacus on November 6, 2009 at 1:57 PM
First: Crow did was not a Congressional Medal of Honor winner as Obama said, he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Second: He’s a WWII veteran. But if you want to imply that veteran = war hero, I have no problem with that. However, wearing war paint under your fatigues isn’t heroic in the traditional sense.
Third: —Joe Medicine Crow, the last living Plains Indian war chief, who fought in World War II wearing war paint beneath his uniform. Obama met Medicine Crow during a presidential campaign stop last year, and was adopted as an honorary member of the Crow tribe.
He had to give a “shout out” to some old indian dude he mean on a campaign stop and gave a Medal of Freedom to as one of 16 “agents of change” before talking about the mass murder of a dozen US Military Soldiers.
That is pathetic in every sense of the word, so your attempt at rationalization fails.
uknowmorethanme on November 6, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Don’t apologize to spartacus…he’s an idiot.
orlandocajun on November 6, 2009 at 1:58 PM
Obama should give her his peace prize.
mad saint jack on November 6, 2009 at 1:59 PM
“Again, stateside, we, like you, rely of law enforcement to keep us safe.”
Fool. The police can only respond, and it has been ruled that it is not their responsibility to keep you safe.
You must object to CCW then, because you don’t like the idea of an armed populace, just armed cops.
Spartacus on November 6, 2009 at 1:59 PM
Inappropriate discussion for this thread. Go away.
BadgerHawk on November 6, 2009 at 1:59 PM
She deserves no less than the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
uknowmorethanme on November 6, 2009 at 1:59 PM
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