A hostage standoff situation turned deadly at the doors of Sao Paulo's central Cathedral.

A man who had tried to rob a woman then took her hostage for over an hour on the church's steps before he was reportedly overpowered by a homeless man.

Both of the men were killed in a shootout with police after the perpetrator fired the first shot.

The woman who fled was reportedly shot as she ran away and was taken to a nearby hospital. Her condition is currently unknown.

Witnesses said she was initially approached by the armed man after leaving a bank.

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