Grammarians, what is this glaring error called, I was taught to avoid it in 7th grade but cannot remember what the error is called. Back then the example was ‘Uncle Fred shot a bear wearing his new hunting coat.’
The example you provide from your 7th grade is not of a so-called "Dangling Participle" - although it bears [pun intended!] a superficial resemblance.
Neither is the sentence you quote from the article an example of a "Dangling Participle."
Rather, the problem with both sentences is due simply to the word-order. It can be easily corrected simply by reshuffling the word-order (that would not suffice in the case of a true "Dangling Participle").
Latauriisha O’Brien, was found in front of an apartment building, suffering from several gunshot wounds [...]
Uncle Fred, wearing his new hunting coat, shot a bear.
NOTE that the comma after "apartment building" is indispensable! After all: It is not the building which is suffering from gunshot wounds.
Here's an example of a true "Dangling Participle," which cannot be correctly merely by changing the word-order:
"After constantly chewing her slippers and crapping on the floor, my girlfriend decided to get rid of her dog."
Regards,
Your grammar lesson reminds me of the old joke where the gentleman with ED finally found a witch doctor that could cure it.
“Drink this herbal tea each day, and then when the moment comes you say 1,2,3 and you will have satisfaction as long as you like. Then say 1,2,3,4 to end it - and you will need to wait 24 hours between events.
The following day he drinks his tea, and tells his wife that he has found the cure, so get ready for a night of romance.
He climbs under the covers and says 1,2,3.
His wife says “What’s the 1,2,3 for?”
And all he was left with was a dangling participle.
There is a book by Lynne Truss called Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Cover shows a Panda working to add the comma after eats.