Aroma with his children
PARAMARIBO, Suriname--The man accused of carrying out one of the deadliest stabbing attacks in Suriname’s recent history has died while in police custody, authorities confirmed Monday morning.
Dennis Aroma (43), the suspect in the killing of nine people, including four of his own children and five neighbours, was reportedly found unresponsive in his cell at the police station Centrum at Keizerstraat in Paramaribo. Preliminary information indicates that he took his own life by hanging. An official investigation into the circumstances of his death is underway.
The original attack unfolded shortly after midnight on Sunday along Hadji Iding Soemitaweg in Meerzorg, Commewijne. Police were alerted at approximately 00:23am after reports of a man attacking residents with a knife. On arrival, officers encountered multiple victims across several properties.
A critically injured 16-year-old girl, later identified as the suspect’s daughter, told police that her father had attacked and killed her siblings. She had managed to escape to a neighbour's house, who had alerted police. The girl was transported to hospital. Another victim, a 72-year-old man, also survived with serious injuries.
Police reported that when officers confronted Aroma near the scene, he was armed with a knife and behaved aggressively, refusing repeated orders to surrender. Officers then used targeted firearm force, shooting him in the legs to immobilize him. He was taken to hospital under guard, treated for his injuries, formally arrested, and placed in pretrial detention.
As forensic teams continued their investigation through the night, the confirmed death toll rose to nine. The victims ranged in age from young children to elderly residents, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the violence.
The incident sent shock-waves through the South American nation, with people sharing heartbreaking stories of relatives and acquaintances they lost. Some recalled that Aroma had been a peaceful man until he was not, while others recounted that his action took the lives of an elderly couple whose family only recently laid a son to rest. Upsetting were recent videos and photographs of a seven-year-old boy whom Aroma had stabbed to death while he lay asleep in his bed.
Aroma was reportedly known in the neighbourhood for long-standing psychological instability. He reportedly had been admitted into psychiatric care at least once.
The suspect’s death in custody adds a new and sensitive dimension to an already-devastating case.
President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons announced on Sunday that Government would foot the funeral bills. In a follow-up announcement, the Government of Suriname has declared Friday, January 2, 2026, a National Day of Mourning in response to the tragedy.
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the national flag will be flown at half-staff from 6:00am until sunset at all public buildings, public facilities, and on vessels docked at state wharves. Citizens and the business community are requested to observe the same. Media organizations have also been asked to adjust their programming in accordance with the day of national mourning, as the country collectively reflects on one of the darkest episodes in its recent history.
