Journalist Marie Colvin died trying to get her shoes

Marie Colvin, a veteran correspondent who was killed in Syria last week, died trying to get her shoes so she could escape a shelling attack, her paper reported Sunday. Colvin, a New York native, worked for London's The Sunday Times As is the custom in Syria, she took off her shoes upon entering a building that was serving as a makeshift press center.

She was on the ground floor when rockets hit the upper floors, The Sunday Times reported.

Thinking then that the building was a target, Colvin rushed to retrieve her shoes in the hall. A rocket landed just a few yards away, the paper said. Colvin, 56, was the only British newspaper journalist inside the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr, was killed alongside French journalist Remi Ochlik in the attack Wednesday.

Her mother, Rosemarie Colvin, said aid workers have been trying for days to remove her daughter's body from the war-ravaged country. They tried again Saturday, but ultimately determined that the situation was too dangerous.

Her daughter's body may be buried inside Syria now, she said. "We were told yesterday that today was probably the last day," the elder Colvin said.

She added that she believes her daughter was deliberately targeted by Syrian government forces.