One of the largest manhunts in Australian history came to a violent end Monday (March 30) when police fatally shot a man they believe to be Dezi Freeman, a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen” who had been hiding for seven months after allegedly killing two police officers in rural Victoria.
The shooting took place after a three-hour standoff at a rural property in northeastern Victoria, where officers had surrounded a structure described as a “long caravan.” Freeman, 56, was believed to be armed and refused to surrender before police opened fire. No officers were injured in the operation.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed that the man believed to be Freeman was given a chance to stand down before the confrontation turned deadly. “There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not,” Bush told reporters, adding that “everything I know at this point tells me that this shooting was justified.”
The standoff brings a close to a saga that began last August, when Freeman allegedly fired on officers who arrived at his property near the small town of Porepunkah to serve a search warrant related to alleged sex crimes. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, were killed in the attack. A third officer was injured.
Bush said the first people notified of Monday’s shooting were the families of the two fallen officers.
Freeman had been hiding nearly 125 miles from the Porepunkah property where the August attack occurred. He is believed to have been concealed inside a shipping container in a remote area. The significant distance from the original crime scene has led investigators to suspect he may have received outside help.
“I’m sure some actually assisted him in getting away from Porepunkah to where he was located,” Bush said. “If anyone was complicit, they will be held to account.”
The search for Freeman was massive in scale. Hundreds of officers, dogs, and helicopters scoured the region for months, working through more than 2,000 leads. Officers from every Australian state and territory, along with reinforcements from New Zealand, took part in the effort. Police also offered a reward of A$1 million — nearly $700,000 — for information leading to his arrest.
Local member of parliament Helen Haines said the apparent death of Freeman “draws this long prolonged and devastating incident to a close,” adding that “a dark cloud has hung over the Porepunkah community” for months.
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