There is no way to tell if the police shot back or not. These are carefully planned raids by terrorists/insurgents; if they did not outgun and outman the police, they would not bother to attack. The story, as are most of them, is written by Reuters. They are a mouthpiece for anti-Americanism and victory for jihad in Iraq, or anywhere, against America. To accept their version is to accept that all of Iraq is against us, Saddam was an okay guy, etc. Get real. The truth is not rosy, but it is not nearly as bad as Reuters portrays in every one of their blankety-blank stories.
I would hope that none of these policemen died with a gun that wasn't empty.
Agreed, you can't trust or believe anything from Reuters. I would trust Weekly World News to be more accurate.