Australian police say a man believed to be double-murder suspect Dezi Freeman has been shot dead after months on the run. Get today's headlines by email Officers confronted the suspect at a rural property in the north-east of the Australian state of Victoria on Monday morning. Police say the man died following an hours-long standoff. Authorities believe the man is Freeman, though formal identification of the body is still under way. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said confirmation could take up to two days. Police believe fugitive killed after standoff“If confirmed, this brings closure to what was a tragic and terrible event,” he said. Police said the man emerged from a structure described as resembling a shipping container combined with a long caravan shortly after 08:30 local time. He was wrapped in a blanket and armed when he appeared. Bush said officers had intended to arrest him but he failed to surrender peacefully. Police opened fire during the confrontation. No officers were injured. The shooting will now be examined as part of a standard investigation into police use of force. Seven-month manhunt after police killingsFreeman, 56, had been on the run since August after two police officers were killed at his property in the small town of Porepunkah. The officers, Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart, had gone to the property during an investigation into alleged sex offences. Within minutes of arriving, both senior constables were shot and killed. Their families were informed first about the suspected death of Freeman, police said. Authorities launched a large-scale search across steep bushland near the alpine tourist region beneath Mount Buffalo. The terrain included caves and old mine shafts, complicating the search. Police also offered a reward of one million Australian dollars for information leading to Freeman’s capture. Officials now plan to investigate whether anyone helped the fugitive while he remained hidden. “It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was without assistance,” Bush said, adding that anyone found to have helped him would face consequences. Anti-government beliefs and past clashesFreeman, whose legal name was Desmond Filby, publicly identified as a “sovereign citizen,” part of a loosely connected anti-government movement that rejects state authority and laws. Local residents said he lived in the Porepunkah area with his wife and two children. His conflict with authorities had been documented in online posts, videos and court proceedings. During the Covid-19 pandemic his views intensified, according to residents. Freeman had previously attempted to place former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews on trial for treason in a case that was later dismissed. Police said the officers sent to Freeman’s property in August had expected a difficult interaction. However, specialist tactical units were not deployed at the time. One of the officers killed, Thompson, had previous contact with Freeman and was believed to have established some rapport with him. Community reaction after manhunt endsThe death of the suspected gunman has prompted mixed reactions from police groups and residents. The Police Association of Victoria said the development represented a step forward but did not erase the trauma caused by the killings. Local independent MP Helen Haines said the town had lived under a “dark cloud” since the shootings and that the end of the manhunt marked the close of a long and devastating chapter. Friends of the slain officers also said the news brought some measure of closure, though it could not undo the loss. Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 30 March 2026
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