Dezi Freeman shot dead in shoot-out with police after seven months on the run

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This was not a manhunt that ended in a high-speed chase. It was a shootout that came with quiet secrecy, stemming from a tip-off, suffocating for two days under police guard, and culminating in a gunfight that would leave Dezi Freeman dead, wrapped in a doona on the property that had concealed her for months.

In the sudden aftermath of Australia’s most intense manhunt, Freeman comes out of hiding; A makeshift structure described as half a shipping container, half a trailer, covered with a bedspread, the white knuckle grip of a gun that may have belonged to one of the officers he killed just after 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, seven months ago.

Freeman remained a ghost in the forest for more than 200 days; He managed to evade the police, leading many on the force to believe he died that fateful day when he shot two police officers to death by shooting himself in the head.

Instead, Freeman was killed around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, three hours after police asked him to surrender. Police are investigating whether the suspect was in possession of the same gun he stole from officers months ago.

The property where Freeman hid is on the edge of the area around the nearby town of Walwa, which was devastated by bushfires in early January. Authorities even issued a Watch and Act alert in January for the area near the property where Freeman was staying.

Last week, police were tipped off that Freeman was hiding near Walwa, 200 kilometers northeast of Porepunkah, according to police sources who were not authorized to speak on the record.

Satellite images show the sprawling property is filled with several buildings, including two containers, a caravan and several disused trucks and cars.

A packed press conference detailing “Operation Summit” in Melbourne on Monday was attended by Victoria Police Chief Mike Bush along with four of the lead investigators on the case. He told reporters that police must complete the formal identification process before confirming that Freeman was killed.

However, Bush said, “Everything I know now tells me that the attack was justified.” “There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, but he did not.”

The police chief would not confirm whether a tip from Freeman’s associates helped officers focus on the property, but said detectives were still investigating connections between the property owners near Walwa and Freeman.

“We would love to know whoever it is, but I’m sure some of them have helped him from Porepunkah to where he is, but that’s a very important part of what happens next,” Bush said. “And if anyone is complicit, they will be held accountable.”

But no one was in “immediate proximity” to the shooting at the property on Monday and no one had been charged as investigators worked with the coroner to establish a crime scene at the remote hideout.

In a brief statement released earlier, police confirmed that a man was fatally shot by officers at around 8.30am. “No police officer was injured during the incident,” the statement said.

“The state coroner will attend the scene and the investigation will be overseen by the Professional Standards Command in accordance with standard procedure for police shootings.”

Freeman was last seen in the Mount Buffalo area after Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35, and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, were shot dead at a rural property in Porepunkah on August 26 last year. They were among a group of 10 officers who served Freeman with a search warrant at the property.

A third police officer was also injured in the Aug. 26 shooting.

Families of the two slain officers were among the first to learn of Freeman’s death Monday.

De Waart-Hottart’s parents, who live in Belgium, are currently in Melbourne after attending a ceremony last week to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Russell Street bombing in which police officer Angela Taylor was killed.

Specialist police units carried out a series of unsuccessful searches, including using cadaver dogs, in the months since Freeman’s disappearance but were unable to find him.

Victoria Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said in a statement following the news of the shooting: “Our members said they would find him. They did.”

Gatt said Freeman’s death did not lessen the trauma he caused or “give back the futures that were callously stolen” but it represented a step forward.

“Today we will not reflect on the loss of a coward,” he said.

“We will remember the bravery and bravery of our fallen members and every officer who doggedly pursued this outcome for the community.

“Days like today are a reminder that policing happens while you sleep, media interest in an investigation wanes and all seems lost and forgotten.”

‘Just keep this in mind [sic] My father was a cop killer, but to me he’s still my father.’

Person identifying himself as Koah Freeman, Dezi Freeman’s eldest son

The news was welcomed by ranking officers. A senior detective told the outlet: “I think today is a beautiful day, the sun is shining and Victoria Police will continue to serve the public in the same way that fallen police officers tried to do.”

For others, his death was met with horror.

A man who identified himself as Freeman’s eldest son, Koah Freeman, condemned locals “celebrating” the death online on the Bright Facebook group.

“I am the eldest son of the Freeman family. And I am not here to defend my father’s actions because I know what he did was wrong,” he said.

“I hope you all understand that I am looking at everything you are thinking about. [sic] you say, and you all know how that makes me feel.”

Koah said he understands people may have thoughts “about the situation that’s going on,” but he urged people to remember that Freeman has a family, too.

“Just keep in mind that for you [sic] My father was a cop killer, but in my opinion, it was still my father who shaped me into the man I am today. “And people who know me well know exactly what I’m talking about,” he wrote.

“This is news I will be upset about while some of you disgusting people are celebrating online for me to watch.”

This imprint could not independently verify that the account belonged to Freeman’s son.

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