Two former Blackwater contractors have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of an Afghan civilian two years ago.

But in what the Associated Press calls an apparent compromise verdict, the federal jury in Norfolk, Va., acquitted the defendants, Christopher Drotleff of Virginia Beach and Justine Cannon of Corpus Christi, Texas, of murder, assault and weapons charges.

They were found guilty of one count each of involuntary manslaughter for the killing a passenger in a car they fired on at a Kabul intersection the night of May 5, 2009. But the jurors exonerated them of murder or manslaughter for shooting to death a pedestrian who was walking a dog nearby, and also cleared them of assault for wounding the car's driver. Cannon's lawyer called that "puzzling."

Prosecutors argued the men shot at the vehicle out of anger and frustration, while the defense said they shot in self-defense. Neither man testified.

Blackwater Worldwide, which changed its name to Xe Services, is a private contractor that has provided security to the U.S. military and State Department. It's headquarters is in Moyock, N.C.