Heroine whose shots ended Texas slaughter praised

Spc. Ryan Howard and Spc. David Straub wait for news of fellow soldiers after Thursday's shootings. Photo / AP

Schools were closed, streets deserted, and checkpoints set up at entrances to Fort Hood last night, as investigators tried to establish how a lone gunman was able to plan and carry out one of the most deadly killing sprees in US military history.

The death toll from Thursday's attack rose to 13, with another 30 injured during the incident that saw the suspected attacker, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, open fire on a group of 300 unarmed soldiers waiting for check-ups at one of the base's medical facilities.

Victims are still undergoing surgery, and doctors warn that the number of fatalities may still rise.

Lieutenant-General Bob Cone, the base commander, said the death toll could have been far higher had it not been for Sergeant Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer who arrived at the scene roughly three minutes in, and managed to disarm Major Hasan after shooting him four times.

Sergeant Munley was wounded by a bullet that passed through both her legs.

Her actions were "amazing and aggressive," he said.

"She was... one of our most impressive young policemen. She walked up and basically engaged him. I think, certainly, this could've been far worse."

Eyewitness reports suggest the attack unfolded shortly after 1.30pm, as the troops lined up for eye tests and inoculations at a group of buildings known as the Soldiers Readiness Processing Centre. The gunman was armed with two pistols, one of them automatic.

Chaotic scenes were described by Lieutenant-General Cone, who spoke with several victims. One told him: "I made the mistake of moving and I was shot again." Others recalled how they managed to "scramble to the ground and help each other out".

Officials are not ruling out the possibility that some casualties were victims of "friendly fire" from police officers.

Lietentant-General Cone admitted it was "counterintuitive" that a single shooter could hit so many people, though the massacre occurred in "close quarters" and involved "ricochet fire".

About 50 metres away, 138 soldiers and their families had been about to begin a graduation ceremony. The doors to their auditorium were blockaded, and a siren prompted them to evacuate the building, preventing what could have been a far worse tragedy.

Since Major Hasan's religious convictions were seemingly a factor, the attack represents a fresh public relations challenge for America's Muslim community.