Suspect identified as Australia police shooting manhunt continues

A suspect who shot and killed two police officers and seriously injured a third in Australia’s rural south-east has been identified, as the search for the gunman entered its second day.

Dezi Freeman, 56, is heavily armed and is experienced in wilderness survival skills, Victoria state’s chief commissioner of police Mike Bush told reporters.

Local people have been urged to stay indoors.

The shooting happened on Tuesday, when 10 armed police officers tried to execute a search warrant at Freeman’s property in Porepunkah, a town of just over 1,000 people located 200 miles north-east of Melbourne.

Freeman killed a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable, Mr Bush said. Another detective was shot, but his wounds are not life-threatening.

The officers “were met by the offender and they were murdered in cold blood,” the police chief said.

The man fled alone, on foot and armed into surrounding forest where a sweeping search for him continued through the night and into Wednesday.

Mr Bush would not elaborate on the search warrant for Freeman’s property and said it was “too soon to say” if his attack on the officers was ideologically motivated.

But he told reporters that attending officers included members of a unit that investigates sexual offences and child abuse.

Australian news outlets widely reported that Freeman espoused so-called sovereign citizen beliefs, citing a 2021 video taken in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court and published online in which he can be seen attempting unsuccessfully to arrest a magistrate and police officers while representing himself in a hearing.

Members of self-proclaimed sovereign citizen movements use debunked legal theories to reject government authority.

In a 2024 finding from Victoria’s Supreme Court, where Freeman tried to challenge a lengthy suspension of his drivers’ licence, a judge wrote the man had “a history of unpleasant encounters with police officers” whom he referred to in his submissions to the court as “Nazis” and “terrorist thugs”.

Mr Bush would not say how much was known of Freeman’s beliefs before the visit to his property.

Porepunkah, known for its vineyards and scenic vistas, is a gateway to Victoria’s alpine tourist region.

Public buildings and the nearby airfield were closed on Tuesday and the local school of just over 100 pupils was in lockdown for hours before youngsters and staff were allowed to go home.

“Be vigilant, keep yourselves safe,” Mr Bush urged residents on Wednesday. “Please don’t go outside if you don’t need to.”

Mr Bush admitted that the suspect’s knowledge of outdoor survival skills posed a “challenge” to authorities.

The whereabouts of Freeman’s wife and two children were initially unknown, but they had visited a police station and spoke to officers late on Tuesday night, Mr Bush said.