Police say a man has been shot dead in their search for Dezi Freeman after seven months on the run – It is believed police were negotiating with Freeman for several hours before the man was killed in a shootout
Dezi Freeman has reportedly been shot dead, police believe
It is believed Australian fugitive Dezi Freeman has been shot dead by police after seven months on the run.
In August, Freeman, 56, gunned down Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart on his property in the small Victorian town of Porepunkah. Police went to his home on 26 August with a search warrant as part of a child sex abuse investigation.
But Freeman fled the scene and evaded extensive searches for seven-months. The manhunt for Freeman become one of the biggest police operations in the country, with officers scouring bushland and offering a $1million reward.
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Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police Mike Bush on Monday said a man had been killed after an hours-long armed standoff at a rural property in north-east Victoria shortly after 08:30 local time. Bush wouldn’t confirm the exact location of the shooting, though there are reports that it was in Walwa, which is to the north-east of Porepunkah, close to the New South Wales border.
Bush would not confirm that Dezi Freeman was the man shot and killed in a police operation this morning, as a formal identification process is pending, but said the operation concludes the hunt for the fugitive.
Bush said the standoff with Freeman this morning began at about 5.30am and was over by 8.30am. Bush wouldn’t confirm the exact location of the shooting, though there are reports that it was in Walwa, which is to the north-east of Porepunkah, close to the New South Wales border.
It will take 24 to 48 hours to confirm the identity of the body, but The families of the two police officers who were shot dead were the first to be told about the development.
The Police Association of Victoria, the union that represents police officers, said news that Freeman had been killed would be “a step forward” for members but would not ease their trauma.
Investigations will now focus on anyone who may have helped Freeman while he was on the run.
As is standard when there is a shooting by police, the Professional Standards Command will have oversight of the investigation into it, and there will be a coronial hearing. A statement earlier this morning confirmed that the coroner would attend the scene itself.
