$1 million reward remains open as hundreds scour bush
More than 100 police are combing dense bushland in the Mount Buffalo National Park in northern Victoria on the second day of a renewed search for fugitive Dezi Freeman.
The five-day search kicked off yesterday, with revelations police had determined the search area through intelligence received about a gunshot heard in the region in the hours after two police were shot dead in nearby Porepunkah last August.

On the morning of August 26, Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart tragically lost their lives in a shooting incident as police carried out a search warrant on Freeman’s property.

Police search Mount Buffalo National Park for accused killer Dezi Freeman. (Justin McManus)

A third officer suffered severe injuries and is currently in recovery.

Authorities suspect Freeman, who claims to be a sovereign citizen, was the shooter. He managed to escape the scene and has been missing since the incident.

Yesterday, Detective Inspector Adam Tilley expressed that police have a strong belief Freeman is dead, although they are keeping all possibilities open.

Dezi Freeman
Accused cop killer Dezi Freeman. (9News)

“We are committed and driven,” Tilley stated.

A record-setting $1 million reward is being offered for information that could lead to Freeman’s arrest, marking a first in Victoria’s history.

It’s not known if the reward would be offered wholly, or in part, for the discovery of Freeman or his remains.

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