His two alleged accomplices have been arrested, after police responded to a report of a business robbery at a supermarket in the Free State town on Thursday at around 23:00.

“The incident happened when the supermarket owner received an alarm warning from the security company guarding his premises. He immediately contacted the police who responded swiftly. The owner opened the premises for police to check for intruders and investigate,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele.

While searching the property, police officers surprised two robbers. One of the suspects opened fire, wounding one police officer. The police returned fire, fatally wounding a 27-year-old suspect.

“One suspect fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. Reinforcements were summoned in the form of the Tactical Response Team and K9 Unit which led to the arrest of two more suspects, aged 27 and 33, who were found hiding in the offices,” Makhele said.

The injured police officer was rushed to hospital in a stable condition.

“The two suspects were detained by Sasolburg police,” Makhele said.

“They will appear in the Sasolburg Magistrate’s Court for attempted murder and business burglary.”

Police are still investigating the incident and it is not yet clear how many suspects were involved.