Manhunt Ends: Police shoot dead suspect in killing of 2 Officers

Australian police on Monday said a man believed to be a fugitive accused of killing two police officers and seriously injuring another has been shot dead following a prolonged manhunt in the state of Victoria.

The suspect, identified as 56-year-old Dezi Freeman , had evaded authorities since August 26 last year, when he allegedly opened fire on officers who had arrived at his residence near Porepunkah, northeast of Melbourne, to serve a warrant. The incident triggered a large-scale search operation across Victoria’s rugged alpine forest region.

According to police, a man believed to be Freeman was located and fatally shot at a remote site near Thologolong, about a two-hour drive north of Porepunkah. Victoria’s Chief Commissioner of Police, Mike Bush , said formal identification is still underway and could take up to 48 hours, including fingerprint analysis.

Heavily armed Special Operations Group officers were deployed to the scene, where a three-hour standoff took place. The suspect was reportedly sheltering inside a structure resembling a shipping container and did not accept repeated calls to surrender.

“This was about resolving the situation as safely as possible. Our ultimate goal was to make an arrest peacefully ,” Bush said, adding that police strongly believed the suspect was armed. However, it remains unclear whether he fired at officers during the confrontation.

Freeman had not been sighted since the August attack, and in recent months, investigators had considered the possibility that he may have taken his own life. Police had also announced a reward of 1 million Australian dollars for information leading to his capture.

Media reports suggested Freeman held anti-government “sovereign citizen” beliefs and possessed survival skills that may have enabled him to live off-grid for months.

Authorities are continuing investigations, including whether the suspect received assistance while evading capture.