The man's wife or girlfriend..
The reporter sure missed something. I can't believe the editor let this go.
In a post-Jayson Blair world, newspapers have found that they can save money on fact-checkers (and prevent lawsuits) by judicious use of "or".
wife or girlfriend
car was owned or leased by a drunk driver
gun was loaded or unloaded at the time of the fatal shooting
I wrote or plagiarized this news account