Civilian contractor shot to death on duty in Iraq
Mar 9, 2009 Memoriam
RIVERVIEW, Mich. — A U.S. veteran who returned to Iraq as a civilian contractor was shot to death while protecting American diplomats in Iraq, his employer said yesterday.
Justin Pope, 25, died after being shot late Wednesday or early Thursday in Kirkuk, said Douglas Ebner, a spokesman for DynCorp International, which has its headquarters in Falls Church, Va.
WJBK, a Detroit-area television station, reported Saturday that Pope was killed by sniper fire. Ebner denied that, saying that Pope died of “an accidental gunshot wound.” He would not elaborate, saying that the incident was under investigation by DynCorp and the U.S. State Department.
