Australian authorities announced on Monday that they believe they have fatally shot a suspect linked to the killing of two police officers and the severe injury of a third, which occurred seven months ago in a remote forested area.
Dezi Freeman, 56, had been evading capture since August 26 of the previous year. He allegedly fired upon officers who were attempting to serve a warrant at his residence near Porepunkah in Victoria, located northeast of Melbourne. Victoria’s Chief Commissioner of Police, Mike Bush, provided these details during a press briefing on Monday.
The individual suspected to be Freeman was shot and killed by police on Monday at a secluded site near Thologolong, approximately a two-hour drive from Porepunkah, according to an official police statement.
“We believe it is Freeman, but we must complete a formal identification process,” Bush stated during a press conference in Melbourne. The identification, which involves fingerprint analysis, is expected to take up to 48 hours.
The heavily armed Special Operations Group tactical police engaged in a tense three-hour standoff with the suspect, who had taken refuge in a shelter resembling a shipping container. Despite police offers for him to surrender peacefully, the confrontation ended with the suspect being shot, Bush explained.
“Our primary aim was to resolve this situation as safely as possible. We intended to apprehend the suspect in a peaceful manner,” Bush emphasized.
Bush said he “strongly believed” the suspect was armed. Bush could not say whether the suspect fired at police.
Australian news outlets widely reported that Freeman espoused co-called sovereign citizen beliefs and had grievances with police. He had wilderness survival skills that police feared could sustain him living in the open indefinitely.
The shooting of three police officers led to a massive search across Victoria’s heavily forested alpine region. In recent months, police said they suspected Freedman had killed himself.
“We have to follow every avenue of inquiry and there was a lot to suggest that Freedman had taken his own life,” Bush said.
Bush would not say whether a tipoff led police to the suspect on Monday. Police had offered a 1 million Australian dollar ($678,000) reward for information.
Police said they continue to investigate whether others had helped the suspect avoid arrest.
