Victoria Police have shot and killed Dezi Freeman, the man who killed two police officers in the state’s north-east last August.
At a press conference on Monday morning, Commissioner Mike Bush said police “believe” the man officers shot was Freeman, but needed to go through a “formal identification process.” Australian media has widely reported it was Freeman.
Police shot the man at a remote rural property in north-east Victoria, around 100 kilometres from the original shooting.
Here’s what we know so far.
Context
On 26 August last year, 10 officers attended Freeman's property in Porepunkah, a small town in north-east Victoria, to serve an arrest warrant relating to alleged historical sexual offences.
Freeman opened fire, killing 59-year-old Neal Thompson and 35-year-old Vadim De Waart, and seriously injuring a third officer.
He then fled into the bush armed with weapons, and authorities began one of the largest police manhunts in Australian history.
In the months that followed, Bush said police received more than 2,000 leads, but none produced a confirmed sighting of Freeman.
Last month, investigators said they believed Freeman may have died by suicide. However, with no body, the investigation remained open.
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Shooting
Just after 5:30am on Monday, police located a man believed to be Freeman sheltering in a structure described as “a cross between a container and a very long caravan” on a remote rural property near Walwa.
Officers made repeated appeals for the man to come out peacefully.
At around 8:30am, the man emerged from the structure, and was believed to be armed. He did not take the opportunity to surrender, and was shot by police. No officers were injured.
While police have not yet formally confirmed the deceased's identity, Bush said he was confident the shooting was “justified”.
Ongoing investigation
Police are now working to formally confirm the deceased's identity, although Bush said:“We believe it is Freeman.” The process is expected to take 24 to 48 hours.
Bush also said police believe Freeman had assistance getting from Porepunkah to where he was ultimately found. Investigators are now working to determine who may have aided him during his seven months on the run.
Bush warned that anyone found to have been complicit would be held to account.
The Commissioner also said the conclusion of the operation would allow Victoria Police to redirect significant resources back to other serious crime investigations across the state and bring “closure to what was a tragic and terrible event.”
