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Five U.S. military veterans are expected to surrender to the FBI in Salt Lake City Monday morning for their alleged role in a shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.
The men are decorated veterans who became private security guards for Blackwater Worldwide. One of them is a Utahn.
A federal grand jury indicted the five security guards in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The Associated Press reports they're surrendering in Utah to hopefully have a trial here, in a more conservative, pro-gun venue.
So, apparently, where the trial will be is already part of a growing legal fight. In the middle of that fight is Donald Ball who grew up in West Valley City.
A former neighbor of his said, "It's just really close to home, really close to home. I'm just sick about it. It just makes me sick."
She's sick over the fact that Ball is facing federal charges. She says she knows Ball's family well.
"He lived by us for several years and was a good kid, was a really good kid and went into the Marines and was taking care of his widowed mother," she said.
After serving several years in the Marines, the decorated soldier went to work for Blackwater, a North Carolina-based security company. The state department hired Blackwater to guard U.S. diplomats in Iraq.
In September 2007, Ball and four other guards allegedly killed 17 Iraqi civilians in a busy Baghdad intersection. Children were among the dead. Witnesses said the attack was unprovoked, but the Blackwater guards say insurgents ambushed them while on their way to check out a car bombing.
Ball's role is unclear, but his lawyer, Steven McCool, told the Associated Press, "Donald Ball committed no crime. We are confident that any jury will see this for what it is: a politically motivated prosecution to appease the Iraqi government."
Meanwhile, Ball's neighbor says, "My prayers are with that family and Donald. I just hope and pray it turns out good for him, if that's what's meant to be."
The Justice Department has been reviewing assault and manslaughter charges for weeks, according to the Associated Press, but it's unclear exactly what Ball and the others will face, because the details are in a sealed federal indictment.
The five security guards are expected to surrender at 9 a.m. Monday and appear before a federal magistrate in the afternoon.
Some of the victims' family members are calling for the death penalty for the men indicted. Mohammed al-Kinani was in his car with his family when he says it came under fire from Blackwater guards. His son was killed.
Al-Kinani wants the death penalty not just for the guards but also for their boss.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
