According to Islam 101

Ismail is the Arabic form of Ishmael that translates as “God will hear”. According to Islam 101:

The Prophet Isma’il (peace be upon him) was the eldest son of Prophet Ibrahim (peace he upon him) by his second wife Hajira. As he had no off-spring from his first wife Sarah, he entered into matrimonial allegiance with Hajira, a devoted lady. He did so with the consent of his first wife. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace he upon him) prayed to his Lord to bless him with a son. The Prophet Isma’il (peace he upon him) was born to him in response to his prayers. The Holy Qur’an makes mention of it in these words:

“Ibrahim said: My Lord! Grant me of the doers of good deeds. So We gave him the good news of a boy possessing forbearance.” (37: 100, 101)

Is the shooter trying to link to this prophet? Even in a use of the translation saying “God will hear”?

According to Wikipedia here are some other indications of this word:

Ismail, Ishmael, Izmail, Isma’il may refer to:

* Ismail bin Jafar, the religious figure of which Ismaili Shiah Muslims follow and are named after.
    * Ishmael, son of Abraham, mentioned in both the Torah and the Qur’an
    * Izmail, a town in Ukraine
    * Isma’il Pasha (1830–1895), wali and khedive of Egypt, also known as Ismail the Magnificent
    * Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid dynasty
    * Ismail Samani, the Samanid amir
    * Mawlay Ismail Ibn Sharif of Morocco (1645/46-1727)

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source: http://www.nickqueen.com/?p=250