A church in Ashtabula, Ohio, was the scene of a shooting on Easter Sunday. Just as services had ended, a man arrived and shot his father in the head, killing him.
A reporter sent us a link to an earlier version of an Associated Press story that ran in the Houston Chronicle with a headline that read:
Witness: Man yelled about God after church killing
That's the headline that remains over this Columbus Dispatch version of the AP report. The reporter thought that interesting in so far as the assailant had reportedly talked about "Allah." The witness actually said -- in later stories at least -- that the assailant had talked about Allah and God.
Allah is Arabic for God and none of the involved were Arab speakers, near as I can tell, so there was something interesting about the assailant's choice of wording. Various other interested parties have suggested or denied drugs or mental health may have been contributing factors to this shooting.
All of which is to say, I found the various headlines interesting. Let's look through them.
The updated AP story in the Houston Chronicle is now headlined "Relative: No motive in Easter shooting in Ohio." I can imagine more interesting headlines.
(Ashtabula) Star Beacon: Suspect says shooting 'will of Allah'
A later Star Beacon story: Man gunned down after church service: Son arrested, says it was ‘will of Allah’
Local CBS: Police: Son Fatally Shoots Dad During Easter Service, Yells Killing Was ‘Will Of Allah’
National CBS: Ohio Church Shooting: Reshad Riddle, Ohio man, shot father to death in church after Easter service, police say
Vindy.com: Horrified church congregation watches son kill father after Easter service in Ashtabula
The Huffington Post: Reshad Riddle Yelled About God And Allah After Allegedly Shooting Father In Ohio Church On Easter
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Minister recounts Easter Sunday shooting outside his Ashtabula church; one dead
I did find it odd that the last article doesn't even mention "Allah" or "God," but was written by the religion reporter who really struggles with writing fairly, objectively or with any nuance (here, here, here).
My own thinking is that the headlines that say "God" but avoid "Allah" are weird. But I prefer the headlines that focus on "father" "shot" "Easter service" -- as those seem to be the key details. The rest can be fleshed out in the body of the story.
But what do you think?