Melbourne — Australian police said Monday they believe they shot dead a suspect accused of killing two police officers and seriously wounding a third in a remote forest region seven months ago.
There had been no confirmed sightings of Dezi Freeman, 56, since he allegedly opened fire on officers who went to serve a warrant at his home near Porepunkah in Victoria state, northeast of Melbourne, on Aug. 26 last year, Victoria’s Chief Commissioner of Police Mike Bush said.
A man believed to be Freeman was fatally shot Monday at a remote location near Thologolong, about a two-hour drive north of Porepunkah, police said. “We believe it is Freeman, but we have to go through a formal identification process,” Bush told reporters in Melbourne, saying identification could take up to 48 hours and include fingerprinting.
Heavily armed Special Operations Group tactical police were involved in a three-hour standoff before the suspect was shot. He had been inside a shelter described as similar to a shipping container and did take up a police offer to surrender, Bush said. “This was all about bringing this to a conclusion as safely as possible. Our ultimate goal was to arrest the person there … as peacefully as possible,” he said.
Bush said he “strongly believed” the suspect was armed but could not say whether the suspect fired at police.
Australian news outlets widely reported that Freeman espoused so-called sovereign citizen beliefs and had grievances with police. Authorities said he had wilderness survival skills that could have allowed him to live in the open for an extended period.
The shooting of three officers prompted a massive search across Victoria’s heavily forested alpine region. In recent months, police said they had suspected Freeman may have taken his own life. Bush would not say whether a tip led police to the suspect on Monday. Authorities had offered a 1 million Australian dollar reward for information.
Police said they continue to investigate whether others helped the suspect avoid arrest.
