Huh?

So I see this intro in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Is that an arrogant name or what?) article about a shooting incident:

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- From the moment it ended, the gunbattle that sent new PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas scrambling for cover was clouded in confusion. In one version, it was an assassination attempt. In another, a misunderstanding gone awry in a room full of guns.¹

Either way, the incident Sunday that killed two security officers and injured five other people underscored the difficulties facing the new Palestinian leadership after the death of Yasser Arafat and highlighted fears Gaza could collapse into chaos.

"From the moment it ended," it's been confusing. Huh?  So, if I took that sentence literally, I'd have to conclude that at the time the guns were being fired, it was crystal clear what was going on, but as soon as the shooting stopped every one lost their comprehension of what had just happened.  I'm guessing that's not what was intended.

Also, just a pedantic observation I know, but what are the odds of a gunfight breaking out during policy negotiations between John Kerry and George Bush?  Even though the two of them appear to hate each others guts, it's absolutely unthinkable that such a thing might happen.  But among the Palestinian "leadership" this is a totally unsurprising development.  And these people are supposed to be able to have their own sovereign state?

^{1 BTW, I copied this post to Word to spell and grammar check it. It went nuts due to all the mistakes in the quoted text.}