PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) — Investigations are continuing into an incident in which the police shot four men, including two Jamaicans and a Guyanese following a robbery just on the outskirts of Paramaribo.

It is reported that the four men died.

The fourth man was identified as a Surinamese.

The police report that they received information regarding an ongoing robbery at a supermarket and dispatched a unit to investigate.

The shopkeeper said four men, two wearing masks and armed with a shotgun and pistol, raided the supermarket and held him and his wife at gunpoint.

The robbers attempted to hold the couple hostage but the shopkeeper screamed for help and subsequently a neighbour came to their rescue.

The suspects fled the scene but they were chased by a security guard who was in the area.

The gunmen fired several shots at the guard but he was not harmed.

The robbers were eventually cornered by police and during a shoot-out with the lawmen, three of them sustained serious injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.