Victoria Police have confirmed that a 56-year-old gunman, Dezi Freeman, was shot dead on Monday morning at about 8:30am at a residence in the state’s northeast, ending a seven-month manhunt. No officers were injured during the operation.
Freeman, who identified himself as a “sovereign citizen,” was accused of fatally shooting two senior officers — Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart — in August 2025 at his home in Porepunkah while they were executing a search warrant. He fled the scene shortly after the incident.
Following the shooting, Freeman was believed to have gone into hiding in the rugged terrain of Mount Buffalo National Park, complicating search efforts. Police launched a large-scale operation, locking down nearby communities and issuing emergency alerts urging residents to stay indoors and remain vigilant. As his whereabouts remained unknown, the alert zone was gradually expanded.
During the search, officers examined more than 100 properties and at one point deployed cadaver dogs for targeted operations. Authorities also kept operational details tightly controlled to prevent the suspect from gaining information through media coverage.
In the early stages of the investigation, Freeman’s wife and son were taken in for questioning on suspicion of hindering the inquiry but were later released without charge. His wife subsequently made a public appeal for him to surrender.
Following confirmation of Freeman’s death, a friend of Thompson said they felt “a sense of relief,” adding the incident had finally come to a close. Local residents reported that police had suddenly sealed off roads and set up checkpoints on the day of the operation, describing it as swift and tightly coordinated. Some also expressed surprise that the suspect was ultimately located some distance from the original crime scene.