Two men who are former Blackwater contractors were arrested yesterday on murder charges stemming from shootings of two Afghans last year. An indictment against the men noted that the Afghans were shot and killed after a traffic accident. The charges are leveled at Justin Cannon, 27 and Chris Drotleff, 29. The FBI arrested the men – both veterans of the U.S. military – without any problems. Cannon and Drotleff were both fired after the incident, apparently for not complying with their contract terms. Said Drotleff of the incident in question, “I feel comfortable firing my weapon any time I feel my life is in danger. That night, my life was 100 percent in danger.”
The arrests of Cannon and Drotleff come in the wake of a U.S. attempt to increase the oversight associated with private contractors overseas which is, in turn, a result of worsening relations with Iraq after various issues with contractors in that country. Speaking of the incident, Cannon and Drotleff, as well as Steve McClain, another contractor who was with the men at the time, noted that a speeding car ran into the first vehicle in their convoy, causing the Blackwater vehicle to flip over. Thereafter, all three men independently verified that the care that caused the accident then turned and began speeding toward them. Drotleff and Cannon opened fire, with Drotleff noting that he expended all the cartridges in his 16-round clip.
Said Cannon, “My conscience is clear about it, but that doesn’t really matter. If someone’s got an agenda, then there’s nothing I can do about it.” McClain, who was not charged with a crime, noted, “I wasn’t drinking (that night) and I didn’t witness (other contractors) drinking that day.” If what Drotleff, Cannon and McClain have noted is verified by another source, it appears that any charges against the men would be difficult to prosecute.
