Police announce new five-day search for alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman
Police have launched a new five-day search to capture fugitive and alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman.
Desmond ‘Dezi’ Freeman, 56, has not been seen since two police officers, Detective Chief Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, were fatally shot while executing a search warrant in Porepunkah on August 26.
A third police officer was also seriously injured in the clash.
Police have confirmed they will launch a new targeted search in Mount Buffalo National Park to find the alleged gunman.
Freeman is believed to have fled on foot into dense woodland armed with weapons.
A $1 million reward was offered to anyone who provided information leading to the arrest of the self-described “sovereign citizen.”
The new search is one of several targeted efforts to track down Freeman.
A similar search was carried out in the national park in December last year, with police combing the grounds for his remains.
“Search teams were focused on identifying and recovering evidence or Freeman’s body,” police said in a December statement.
The search covered 0.8862 square kilometers of dense bush and rugged terrain, where officers conducted line searches and cleared caves.
Two NSW Police Force cadaver dogs were called in as part of the search, along with the Eastern District, Search and Rescue, Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), drone unit and canine team.
Police also conducted a large-scale aerial search of the park.
Since the shooting, police have investigated 1,950 pieces of intelligence, including information from the public.
Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said at the time: “The devastating loss of Neal and Vadim has struck at the heart of Victoria Police and has had a huge impact on the Porepunkah community.”
“I would like to reaffirm to the community that Victoria Police is committed to doing everything we can, using every available resource and necessary capabilities, to locate Desmond Freeman.
“We will continue our presence in the community and are committed to resolving this.”
Anyone who sees Freeman is asked not to approach him and to call Triple-0 immediately.
