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Dezi Freeman ‘heavily armed’ and still at large, Victoria police say
The chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:
We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him … The hunt will continue until we find him.
Bush said there was no hostage situation.
Key events
Injured officer will recover, but has ‘significant’ injuries
Bush said he hopes to visit the officer injured in the shooting yesterday, saying he believes they are out of surgery but “significantly damaged”.
He said the officer will recover, but more information on their condition will come later.
Freeman ‘understands bushcraft well’, police commissioner says
Bush said police believe Freeman is thought to understand “bushcraft well”, presenting a challenge for those searching for him:
Our understanding of him is he understands bushcraft well, which provides a challenge for us. But we keep an absolutely open mind on what options are open to him. And those options will inform our approach.
Authorities conducting a manhunt overnight did so in difficult weather conditions. But Bush said the team was “absolutely determined and focused on finding this person.”
They are oblivious to those conditions when they have a mission.
Freeman thought to have ‘multiple firearms’
Bush said police believe Freeman has many weapons with him:
Long arms, powerful firearms, multiple firearms. We haven’t recovered any of his firearms from the scene.
Police have ‘wide cordon’ set up as part of ‘very wide search area’
Bush said the best experts in the country are doing “everything” they can to find Freeman. Authorities have not had any confirmed sightings of him since yesterday’s events.
We have all the ***ets in play. We have not had any confirmed site sightings of him at the moment … Anything is possible. He knows that area, even though we have experts in the area, he will know that area better than us. So, that’s why we’re putting in every expert and supported by local knowledge as well.
Bush added Victoria police had spoken with their counterparts in NSW, who are on standby if needed.
Dezi Freeman ‘heavily armed’ and still at large, Victoria police say
The chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:
We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him … The hunt will continue until we find him.
Bush said there was no hostage situation.
Adeshola Ore
Porepunkah shooting suspect Dezi Freeman called police ‘terrorist thugs’ and tried to arrest magistrate, court records reveal
Dezi Freeman, the man suspected of shooting and killing two police officers and injuring a third at a rural Victorian property, has previously called police “terrorist thugs” and has a history of ***ociation with pseudolaw and “sovereign citizen” ideas.
Court records show Freeman has previously described police as “frigging Nazis”, “Gestapo” and “terrorist thugs”. He also once attempted to arrest a magistrate during a bizarre court hearing in Wangaratta.
Last year, a Victorian county court judge found Freeman was guilty of using a mobile phone while driving and refusing to provide a saliva sample to police in September 2020 on the Great Alpine Road.
But he lodged a legal battle after the judge cancelled Freeman’s licence and disqualified him from obtaining a licence for a period of two years from 8 April 2024.
Read more:
Federal MP for Porepunkah area says extreme ideologies ‘have no place in Australia’
Federal MP Helen Haines, the local member for Indi, which covers the Porepunkah area, said her community is “completely shocked and devastated” after yesterday’s events. Haines told ABC News:
There is so much grief and disbelief and frankly horror at what has unfolded in Porepunkah …
I think the Victorian government are doing everything they can and I know that the Victoria police and emergency services are throwing every resource at this issue to find and apprehend this offender. I can’t ask for more than that, and right now that is the priority.
Haines said it was still an active event and while police would take time to understand the motivation behind the shooting, extreme ideologies had “no place in Australia”.
The law of this land applies to everyone, irrespective of what ideology a person may or may not subscribe to. We were warned last year around the rise of various ideologies and the real risk it poses to civil society. But in this case, again we have an active event happening right now in Porepunkah with police and emergency services trying to apprehend this offender.
And until this person is brought in, we won’t know exactly what has motivated this person. But whichever way you look at it, extreme ideologies have no place in Australia.
Police to address media in Melbourne
Victoria police are set to hold a media conference on the latest information out of Porepunkah in a few minutes, at 8.30am. We’ll carry the latest updates as they come through.
Sussan Ley pays tribute to slain Porepunkah police officers
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has paid tribute to two police officers killed at Porepunkah yesterday. She called the shooting “a heartbreaking tragedy that has touched every Australian”.
“These officers gave their lives protecting their community, and our nation grieves deeply with their families, friends and colleagues. This loss is a solemn reminder of the dangers police face each day and the extraordinary courage it takes to serve,” Ley said in a statement.
To every officer who wears the uniform, you carry our respect and our gratitude.
Ley also spoke of the detective who was left injured, and other police responding to the incident in the rural Victorian town.
In this moment of profound sadness, Australians stand shoulder to shoulder with Victoria Police. We will honour those who have fallen and never take for granted the courage and service that keeps our communities safe.
AFP and Asio ***isting with investigation, says home affairs minister
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said this morning that both the Australian federal police and Asio are ***isting with the investigation in Porepunkah.
Andrew Hastie says society has seen a ‘breakdown in trust’ in governments since pandemic
The shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, was asked on RN Breakfast about the concern surrounding fringe ideologies spreading through society. He said those ideas spark a real concern:
I think since Covid, we’ve seen a breakdown in trust for governments, whether it be state or national governments. And so we have to work extra hard to win the trust of those we represent.
There is no excuse ever for violence in this country, particularly of the sort that we saw yesterday, which claimed the lives of two police officers. …
I think social cohesion is more frayed than ever. There’s more misinformation and disinformation out there. A lot of people went down the rabbit hole during Covid and they never came back up.
Porepunkah primary school to remain closed today
The local primary school in Porepunkah will not open today on the advice of Victoria police, Allan said earlier:
The advice is that the request for the community to continue to remain indoors. The advice I have is the school, the primary school will not be open today as well. And this is all based on the advice of Victoria police and I urge everyone in the community to follow that advice.
Victoria premier says ‘a lot of people feeling a deep grief today’
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, just spoke to ABC News, saying “every resource” was currently devoted to the manhunt, but said it has been a difficult few days for the community in Porepunkah.
She said:
While we wait for further details to come from Victoria police, we put our arms around the Victoria police family. A lot of people are feeling deep grief today and they’re also going to work today to keep our communities safe. So it’s been … it was an incredibly tragic day yesterday and it continues to be a tough one today …
What happened yesterday was a tragedy. But also a hideous crime that was perpetrated on those who go to work every day to keep us safe. And that makes it even more awful and horrific.
Good morning
The suspect behind the shooting of three police officers, two of whom are dead, in Porepunkah, Victoria, is still on the run. Police said the man’s family, including his partner and his children, attended a local police station last night, but the man’s whereabouts remain unknown as a m***ive search continues today.
The town of Porepunkah is about 300km north-east of Melbourne and police are combing dense bushland as part of their search. But residents of the town and surrounding areas are being urged to remain indoors until further notice.
We’ll bring you more updates as the day moves along.
