Melbourne, Australia — Police in Victoria have shot and killed a man believed to be Dezi Freeman, the fugitive conspiracy theorist accused of murdering two officers last year, ending one of the country’s most high-profile manhunts.
Authorities say the fatal shooting occurred early Monday after an hours-long standoff at a rural property in the state’s north-east. Freeman, 56, had been on the run since August, when he gunned down Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Detective Vadim de Waart at his property in Porepunkah before disappearing into dense bushland.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush told reporters that formal identification of the body is still underway, but added: “Our ultimate goal was to arrest the person. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully but he did not.”
Premier Jacinta Allan was blunt: “Today an evil man is dead. It’s over.”
The Standoff
Police surrounded a makeshift structure — described as part shipping container, part caravan — around 5:30 a.m. local time. After repeated calls to surrender, a man believed to be Freeman emerged wrapped in a blanket and armed with a gun, possibly taken from one of the slain officers. He was shot dead on the spot. No officers were injured.
A Violent History
Freeman, whose real name was Desmond Filby, was a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen” who rejected government authority. His extremist views hardened during the pandemic, when he railed against lockdowns and attempted to bring treason charges against then-Premier Daniel Andrews. Locals described him as increasingly hostile toward police, whom he branded “terrorist thugs.”
The August killings shocked the alpine town of Porepunkah and prompted a massive search effort. Police offered a $1 million reward and scoured rugged terrain for months, convinced Freeman was hiding in caves and mineshafts. Last month, cadaver dogs were deployed amid suspicions he had died in the bush.
Aftermath and Closure
The families of Thompson and de Waart were the first to be notified of Freeman’s death. The Police Association of Victoria called the development “a step forward” but stressed it does not erase the trauma or restore the futures lost.
Investigators now believe Freeman received help while evading capture. “It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was without assistance,” Bush said, vowing that anyone complicit will face accountability.
Local MP Helen Haines said Freeman’s death lifts a “dark cloud” from the community. Friends of the slain officers echoed that sentiment, with one telling the ABC: “It’s a good day… it doesn’t change much, but it brings some closure.”
