I live on Long Island about 15 miles from where TWA800 went down. I know some of the LEO who were involved and when I spoke with them about it they all said the same thing “shot down”.
For a fictional - but - kinda true version of the story, read Nelson Demille’s “Nightfall”
Agree about ‘Nightfall’
Nightfall is brutally can’t-put-it-down reading. A must read