Man Shot to Death Trying to Retrieve Stolen Purse

A man who police say chased a purse snatcher for several blocks was shot and killed Sunday after he tried to retrieve a woman’s pocketbook.

The good Samaritan’s identity is not known, police said. Officers said he was in his late 20s.

Police said he was killed after the purse snatcher pulled out a gun and fired several bullets into his chest and head outside a home on South Shelley Street.

Police said the suspect, a teenager who wore gang-style clothing and had a shaved head, remains at large.

“I saw it happen through the blinds. I got really scared,” said one resident of the neighborhood who was watching television at the time.

Police said the suspect grabbed a purse from a 61-year-old woman as she walked near the 1300 block of South Center Street at 3 p.m.

The woman “was screaming and carrying on. One resident started chasing after [the purse snatcher],” Police Lt. David Petko said.

The purse snatcher ran south on Center Street, then east on Wilshire Street until the man chasing him got within an arm’s length. That’s when neighbors heard shots, police said.

“We thought it was firecrackers until we looked out the window and saw the body,” said another resident.

Police said investigators found keys belonging to the purse-snatch victim next to the man’s body. The woman’s purse was not found.