How I Would Have Written It

Here's Steve Erlanger's copy from today's NYTimes (although to be fair, there is always an editor or two on ndown the line before his original copy gets published):-

Israeli security forces shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen who opened fire at them on Saturday night in Sheik Said, the Arab East Jerusalem neighborhood, near the separation barrier that Israel is building. Israeli police and ambulance services said two Israeli officers were wounded, one seriously. A Palestinian bystander was also seriously wounded and later died.

and here's how I would have written it:-

Two Palestinian gunmen who opened fire on Israeli security personnel were killed in the returned defensive fire. The terrorist incident occured on Saturday night in Jerusalem's Sheik Said neighborhood, populated by Arabs near the prevention barrier Israel is being forced to build. Israeli police and ambulance services said two Israeli officers were wounded, one seriously. A Palestinian bystander was also seriously wounded and later died.