Munley Was Ex-Partner's 'Mighty Mouse'

Sgt. Kimberly Munley, the police officer who confronted and shot the alleged Fort Hood gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is being hailed as a hero.

But her quick thinking and bravery are nothing new.

Her former police partner, Investigator Shaun Appler, spent two years fighting crime by her side with the Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Police Department, and says Munley once saved his life. He calls her his "Mighty Mouse."

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Munley, 34, a civilian cop employed by the Army, started at the Wrightsville Beach department at the same time, in 2000. She was his partner for two years before leaving. They've remained good friends, Appler says.

"I'd rather have her by my side on patrol than anyone else," Appler told CBS News.

He's spoken with Munley in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings and says she's in "good spirits," being treated for gunshot wounds suffered while capturing Hasan.

Appler told "The Early Show Saturday Edition" co-anchor Erica Hill how Munley once came to his rescue.

"I was arresting a subject one night," he said, "and, during the arrest, we ended up rolling down a hill, and my flashlight went one way and my radio went another. And the suspect ended up on my back.

" ... Kim came up and, I swear to you, and I joke with her about this all the time, she came diving up onto the guy's back and -- I don't know if you remember back when you were a kid, the 'Mighty Mouse' theme -- "'Here I come to save the day'? She kind of jumped up on his back, and I swear, I heard that song in my head. And she ended up pulling him off me and we got him secured.

"(At that point), I realized my gun belt actually had been turned around to my back, and my gun was on my back, and the suspect had actually been trying to pull my weapon from its holster. And I've told her this for years, I call her 'Mighty Mouse' ever since then, and I know she saved my life that night."

Appler says he wasn't surprised at Munley's latest heroism. "She's not only physically strong," he observed, "I mean, I don't know if you know this, but she's vertically-challenged (five-feet-three-inches tall), but she packs a lot of might in that little frame. And not only is she physically tough, but she's also mentally tough. So it doesn't surprise me the way she reacted."

More Coverage of the Tragedy at Fort Hood:

What Triggers Mass Shootings?
Hasan Likely "Lone Wolf," Officials Say
Hasan Reportedly Felt U.S. Attacked Islam
List of Fort Hood Dead, Wounded
"Allahu Akbar": Hasan's Words as He Fired?
Hasan's Actions "Despicable," Family Says
Female Cop Hailed as Ft. Hood Hero
U.S. Army Base Violence Has Bloody History
Tragedy at Fort Hood