WASHINGTON — After years of delays, former Blackwater Worldwide security guards are going on trial in the killings of 14 Iraqis and the wounding of at least 18 others.
Over the next few days, a jury of 12 residents from the District of Columbia will be chosen from a pool of 150 people to decide the guards’ fate.
The trial is expected to last months.
One of the guards who faces the most serious charges is asking for a separate trial.
The Justice Department opposes that request by Nicholas Slatten, who’s charged with first-degree murder.
The other three guards — Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — are charged with manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and gun charges.
The shootings occurred Sept. 16, 2007, at the Nisoor Square traffic circle in Baghdad.