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Fugitive shot dead in standoff
Australian police confirmed on Monday that a man fatally shot during an hours-long confrontation in rural Victoria is believed to be Dezi Freeman, the 56-year-old wanted for the murders of two officers last August. Formal identification is pending, authorities said.
Timeline of the confrontation
Officers surrounded a makeshift structure-a hybrid of a shipping container and a caravan-on a remote property around 5:30 a.m. local time. After three hours of negotiations, a man matching Freeman's description emerged wrapped in a blanket and armed with a firearm, according to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush. He was shot dead when he failed to surrender.
Bush told reporters the weapon may have been one of those taken from the officers Freeman killed in August. No police were injured in the operation, which will undergo a routine review for officer-involved shootings.
Background: The August killings
Freeman, a self-proclaimed "sovereign citizen" who rejected government authority, opened fire on a ten-officer team sent to his Porepunkah property on August 26. The squad was investigating allegations of sex offences against Freeman when Senior Constables Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart were killed. A third officer, familiar with Freeman from prior encounters, was among the first responders.
Thompson, an Australian Football League enthusiast and outdoorsman, was weeks from retirement. De Waart, originally from Belgium, was remembered by colleagues as perpetually cheerful. Their families were notified of Freeman's death before the public announcement.
Manhunt and local impact
After the shootings, Freeman vanished into the rugged bushland near Mount Buffalo, an area riddled with caves and abandoned mineshafts. Police launched an extensive search, offering a A$1 million reward and deploying cadaver dogs last month after suspecting Freeman may have taken his own life. Bush acknowledged Monday that evidence pointed toward suicide but said investigators remained open to other possibilities.
Locals in the alpine tourist town of Porepunkah described Freeman as a recluse whose anti-government views intensified during Victoria's strict COVID-19 lockdowns. Online posts and court records documented his hostility toward law enforcement, including an attempt to "arrest" a magistrate and a failed 2021 bid to charge then-Premier Daniel Andrews with treason.
Broader implications
Freeman's death has reignited debates about Australia's response to anti-government extremism. Federal police have previously warned that sovereign citizen movements possess an "underlying capacity to inspire violence." A 2022 incident in Queensland saw three individuals with similar beliefs kill two officers and a civilian in a targeted ambush.
Helen Haines, the local member of parliament, said Freeman's death "draws this prolonged and devastating incident to a close," though she acknowledged the trauma would linger. The Police Association of Victoria echoed the sentiment, calling the outcome a "step forward" but stressing it would not heal the loss of the slain officers.
"It doesn't lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen, or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public."
Police Association of Victoria
Next steps
Investigators are now focused on identifying anyone who may have aided Freeman during his seven months on the run. Bush stated that surviving in the terrain would have been nearly impossible without assistance, vowing accountability for any accomplices. Formal confirmation of Freeman's identity is expected within 48 hours.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan described Freeman as "an evil man" and declared the ordeal over. A close friend of Thompson, however, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that while Freeman's death was "a good day," it offered only limited closure.
