May 10 (Bloomberg) -- Blackwater Worldwide survived the controversy sparked by a September shooting incident in Baghdad that left at least 16 Iraqis dead and prompted a review of security contractors, the New York Times reported. The company's contract with the U.S. State Department was renewed for one more year last month after the agency decided two other companies, DynCorp International Inc. and Triple Canopy Inc., were unable to provide the necessary security in Baghdad, the newspaper said.
Some Blackwater employees may face criminal charges from incidents, including the shooting death of an Iraqi vice president's bodyguard in December 2006, the newspaper said. A federal grand jury is still gathering evidence related to the September shooting, and some Blackwater guards are cooperating with the probe, the newspaper said.
``Until the professionals involved draw any conclusions and in the interest of due process, it is important to avoid a rush to judgment,'' Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said in an e- mailed statement.
To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Hart in Washington at dahart@bloomberg.net.