Washington, Nov. 7 (ANI): A female civilian officer is being hailed as a heroine for shooting down the Fort Hood gunman who allegedly killed 13 American soldiers and injured 30 others at America's biggest military base.

Sergeant Kim Munley was the first armed officer on the scene as US Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan rampaged through the base, picking off his targets who were all unarmed.

Sgt Munley managed to shoot Hasan four times but was injured herself by a bullet that witnesses said hit both of her legs, Sky News reports.

She is in a stable condition in a local community hospital, said a US military spokesman.

Colonel John Rossi praised the officer at a press conference, saying: "Her efforts were superb."

Lt Gen Bob Cone said: "As horrible as this was, I think it could have been much worse."

Witnesses said Hasan had shouted "Allah akbar" - God is great - as he opened fire.

According to a military spokesman, Hasan is in a stable condition in hospital on a ventilator.

While investigators continue to comb through the evidence to find out why he might have opened fire on his fellow soldiers, Hasan, a Virginia native and a Muslim, reportedly was against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He had recently received his orders of deployment in Afghanistan.

Nader Hasan, a cousin of the gunman, said: "We just found out on the news that he was being deployed. He never even told us. We've known for the last four or five years that was probably his worst nightmare." (ANI)