@Graci bugs me too. They do it in sport commentary a *lot*!
@Graci
The first example has a current events vibe for me. The second one sounds odd. That said, I appreciate that this verb has special tense features by its nature.
bad grammar drives me a bit nuts, (other than capitalization rules which i choose to ignore).
but when i see a headline like that, all present tense, i picture a boy on the corner wearing a news cap, calling it out loud to the neighborhood.
"John Smith DIES at HOME!!" and that makes it seem better.
@Graci You are correct and l hope John Smith is careful, as it sounds ominous.
But often, I am not as careful reader as l should be
@Graci bad English. Easy fix for a headline writer, if they only had a brain.