Yep, I made clear if not in the above comment, in another, that if the police are firing shots after a confrontation, that I believe the police have a reason to do so, so I am not surprised by confrontation also meaning “shots fired by someone other than the police” - it makes sense in this context if one believes the police should only fire shots themselves if they are threatened.
...but the parent comment is saying the confrontation itself involved gunshots?
After being shot at, the police fired eight shots
I might add I know nothing about this case other than what I’ve read in this comment thread.