A policeman drowned after he and a colleague fell into the Rio Cobre during a shootout with gunmen in Gordon Pen in Spanish Town, St Catherine about 6:00 this morning.

One of the officers was rescued by residents after other police officers on patrol started to shout for help in the community.

While two divers from the community were searching for the other policeman, they stumbled on one of the alleged gunmen hiding in bushes.

The alleged fugitive fought hard with the two divers, to whom police officers on the opposite bank were shouting instructions on how to apprehend him.

Agroup of officers have just captured the fugitive and are taking him from the river, administering a few blows in the process.

The body of the policeman has still not been found.