Anatomy of a Shooting: A Civilian's Death in Iraq (NPR)

All Things Considered, June 23, 2006 · Every day in the streets of Baghdad, U.S. troops are subjected to random attacks by insurgents who easily blend in to the civilian population. Every car and truck on the crowded roads is a potential bomber, and any suspicious behavior can draw American fire. Innocent civilians often are killed, breeding resentment and sympathy for the insurgents.

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Staff Sgt. Joe Romero shot and killed Dr. Yasser Salihee on June 24, 2005. The U.S. Army found the shooting justified under the rules of engagement. Iraqi witnesses saw it as murder. For the people closest to the shooting -- the soldiers and Iraqis on the street that day, the shooter and the victim's family -- this one incident had a profound impact.

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Yasser Salihee, 30, was a Sunni physician at Baghdad's Yarmouk Hospital. He sported wire-rim glasses and a buzz cut, and was married to a fellow doctor; they had a two-year-old daughter, Danya. But when the chance came to translate for foreign journalists -- including NPR -- he jumped at it. His first translating assignment was in fall 2003.

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In a letter sent to NPR, Vige wrote, "I will state for the record that Mr. Salihee would still be alive if he had been more attentive and in tune with his environment. Tragic as it may be and with the sympathy I hold for his family, I must admit that he was not very wise in his decision-making process on the day of the shooting. Mr. Salihee would still be alive and with his family if in fact he had been more alert."