'Killing' for 'suicide'

[Damien Hall]

PLEASE NOTE MY NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS

New to me in the _Metro_ (Newcastle, UK edition) this morning:

'A van driver shot a Canadian border guard in the neck before turning the gun on himself, police said yesterday. [The female police officer's condition was later] said to be stable. Police [...] were trying to discover the motive for Tuesday's killing.'

Only the gunman has died here, so 'killing' must refer either to his suicide or to the presumable attempted murder of the border guard.  Have others seen this use before?  Do you think it's genuine, or can it be attributed to rushed subbing (removal of the word 'attempted' before 'killing' - though it would have fit in the remaining space on the line - or something else)?

Damien

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Damien Hall
Newcastle University (UK)

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