He was said to have been shot while trying to escape.

I would say he had been in bed and tried to escape.

What would happen to them if she tried to escape?

On a visit to her mother, she tried to escape.

Or to try to escape and perhaps be seen out in the open?

His only hope was to fight and try to escape.

They weren't even trying to escape, though nothing held them.

Three workers were shot while trying to escape, he said.

He didn't know what they were trying to escape from.

But instead of trying to escape, he stood quite still, waiting for me.