Blackwater shooting suspect identified

SEATTLE, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A former Blackwater USA employee suspected in the killing of an Iraqi vice president's bodyguard reportedly is a former Army paratrooper who lives in Seattle.

Andrew Moonen, whose identity was previously kept confidential by Blackwater, Congress and the State Department, is the sole suspect in the shooting death of Raheem Khalif, a bodyguard to Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi, The New York Times reported Thursday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials previously said Khalif was shot three times by a Blackwater employee who had been drinking on Christmas Eve 2006. Khalif died at a U.S. military hospital the day after the shooting.

When asked about the shooting, Moonen's father, Alvin Moonen, said: “They train these guys like they do and then they’re surprised?”

Moonen was fired from Blackwater hours after the shooting. The company cited a "blatant and egregious" violation of a company policy that prohibits employees from carrying firearms while drunk.

No charges have yet been filed in the case, but an official with the FBI said the case is being actively pursued.