I share your editorial geekiness on this issue, David.

It took me a few full minutes to get what the headline is trying to say.

Apparently, at the Sun, God no longer resides in the details.

As of the last round of buyouts, no doubt.

Everyone knows THAT paralyzed victim probably deserved it.

Yeah, but then they would've had to add a comma.

How about "Man Sentenced for Victim-Paralyzing Shooting"?

More grammar-blogging at Slog, pleeeeeze!

Alternatively, "Man sentenced for shooting which paralyzed victim" sounds as if the reader is expected to guess which paralyzed victim was shot.

Well, it's bad either way, right? Either shooting someone so that they become paralyzed, or shooting someone who is already paralyzed.

Another great headline, right off to the side:

"Teen admits slaying man after watching him kill"

Not a huge grammatical head-scratcher, but WTF-inducing all the same.

Let us also lament the demise of The Wire...who will take up the mantle of documenting and dramatizing Baltimore's continual idiosyncracies?

Man sentenced for shooting witch paralyzed victim.

"That" is the appropriate choice over "which", unless there was only one shooting in Baltimore.

Could someone dumb this down for me? "That" sounds much better to me, but I'm not great with grammar. The shoot is what paralyzed the victim, and since "the victim" could be considered an essential clause, then "that" is correct. I also understand that a comma almost always goes before "which" as well.

@12. I think you're right. But when I first read it I thought it was talking about "that paralyzed man" over there. I was afraid that everyone in Baltimore knew "that paralyzed man" except for me.

Congratulations, you have been garden path'd :)

@12,

I don't agree that "victim" is an essential clause. "Man sentenced for shooting" works fine on its own. And, yeah, if you don't use a comma with "which," the headline is still guffaw worthy.

Shooting paralyzed victim, which man was sentenced for.

Agreed. Now can we get Stranger writers to use "who" and "whom" correctly?

I'd have written it: "Man Sentenced for Shooting, Paralyzing Victim"

Man Sentenced for Shooting Which Paralyzed Victim?