|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
|
January 12th,
2010 - Bail Hearing Set for Blackwater Contractor Charged with Murder News article from Corpus
Christi Caller Times |
|
Bail Hearing Set
for Blackwater Contractor Charged with Murder By Jessica Savage Corpus Christi Caller Times January 12, 2010 Corpus Christi - The Justin
Cannon whom the government accuses of murder is known to friends and family
as a patriot with a sense of humor, who still would be serving happily in the
Army were it not for an injury. The Corpus Christi resident
and former Blackwater contractor is expected to appear in court Thursday for
a judge to decide if he will be granted bail on federal murder charges.
Otherwise, he will likely spend months behind bars while he awaits trial. Cannon and former contractor
Christopher Drotleff, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., are charged in the May 5
shooting death of two Afghans. Both have said the shooting was in
self-defense. Federal agents arrested
Cannon last week and booked him into Aransas County Detention Center where he
was being held Tuesday. His family said Cannon
appears to be in good spirits, given the situation. Cannon’s release on bail
will depend upon two factors: his ability to prove he is not a flight risk
nor a danger to the community. “I think that we stand in a
good position.” said defense attorney David Diaz, who has been hired to
represent Cannon in this phase of the case. Since Cannon’s arrest Jan.
7, friends and family have joined together in his defense, creating Web site
RangerDefenseFund.com and Facebook page “Free Justin H. Cannon” to raise
awareness about the case and money should bail be set. “We are overwhelmed with the
number of people who have expressed support,” said Cannon’s father, Chuck. “I
knew he had a number of friends, but I’m still surprised.” The charges against Cannon
have gained worldwide attention. As that spotlight increases, supporters say
they want the public to know the man they know: a hardworking American
patriot with a great sense of humor. Cannon reached a childhood
dream in 2001 when he joined the Army. He served with the 75th Rangers in
Afghanistan and later helped U.S. forces liberate Iraq in 2003. He lost
friends in the war, but never his patriotism, family said. At the end of his term,
Cannon’s ability to continue serving in the military ended with a persistent
back injury. It left Cannon wondering what else he could do to help. At a friend’s suggestion,
Cannon looked into contract work overseas. He was elated with the prospect,
his father said. “This gave him a chance to
give back to his country again.” Cannon accepted a position
in 2007 with Paravant, a subsidiary of Xe, the company formerly known as
Blackwater. He became a weapons instructor for the Afghan National Army and
was sent to Afghanistan. On the night of May 5,
Cannon, Drotleff and several contractors were traveling on a road in Kabul
when a speeding car slammed into the first vehicle of their convoy. The
impact caused the vehicle to flip. Cannon and Drotleff, who
were in another vehicle, got out to help. They said the car that caused the
accident turned and started speeding toward them. Fearing for their lives,
both opened fire, according to their account. The shots killed two Afghan
men in the vehicle and injured at least one other person, according to an
indictment handed up by a Virginia grand jury. Blackwater fired Cannon,
Drotleff and two others days after the shooting, The former workers have told
the Associated Press that Blackwater tried to make them scapegoats. They said
the company armed some of its workers in Afghanistan despite U.S. military
documents that prohibited them from carrying guns. Cannon’s father said his son
still doesn’t understand why Blackwater fired him. “He felt like he was
defending himself, his fellow contractors and the interpreters they were
transporting who were Afghans,” he said. Cannon moved back to Corpus
Christi where he was working and planned to attend Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi in the spring to pursue an interest in business. Close friends of Cannon said
they were in shock when they found out a Virginia grand jury had issued an
indictment, charging Cannon and Drotleff with second-degree murder, attempted
murder and weapons charges. “When I look at Justin
Cannon, I don’t see a murderer at all,” said Shane O’Neal, who has known
Cannon for three years. “I see him as a man who served his country.” The federal investigation is
the latest push in the U.S. government’s attempt to increase oversight of
contractor activities in war zones after a series of problems in Iraq
strained relations between Washington and Baghdad. Several Blackwater
contractors had been charged with 14 counts of manslaughter for their role in
a 2007 shooting in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square, but a judge dropped those charges
two weeks ago. The Associated Press
contributed to this report. External link: http://www.caller.com/news/2010/jan/12/bail-hearing-set-for-blackwater-contractor-with/ |