Tourist Killed Chasing Purse-Snatchers

A tourist was fatally shot Sunday while chasing two men who snatched her purse as she and her mother were taking photos at a cemetery, police said.

The 33-year-old woman and her mother left their van outside St. Louis Cemetery near the French Quarter. Her father stayed in the van.

After the men darted up and grabbed the purse, the two women ran after them and the father pursued them in the van. One of the men turned and fired several shots, hitting the daughter in the chest and the van’s windshield and hood, police said. The van veered and hit a fence.

The woman, who was visiting from Dryden, Va., died at a hospital. Her parents were not hurt. Their names were not immediately released.

The attackers jumped into a truck and sped away.