Police target accomplices after fatal shooting of Porepunkah fugitive

Police say Desmond ‘Dezi’ Freeman refused to surrender to police following a three-hour standoff at a North East property, leading to his death on Monday. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush addressed the media on Monday morning following what the force believed was the conclusion of a massive six-month operation for the alleged killer of two policemen. Chief Commissioner Bush said a large team of heavily armed operatives and investigators of Taskforce Summit attended a rural North East Victorian property about 5:30am, 30 March. While it was yet to be confirmed, the property was believed to be in the Walwa area, more than 150km from where Freeman was last sighted in Porepunkah. Freeman was believed to be inside the building and police appealed for his surrender. Following a three-hour standoff at the part shipping container and caravan, Freeman exited the building, believed to be armed. Chief Commissioner Bush said the 56-year-old had the opportunity to surrender, but did not take it, prior to being shot by police. “Everything I know to this point was this shooting was justified,” he said. “Our ultimate goal was to arrest the subject of this operation as peacefully as possible; we don’t determine how they act. “Should it be this was Desmond Freeman, this brings closure to what was a tragic and terrible event.” Chief Commissioner Bush said an investigation into the exact sequence of events was ongoing and a formal process was needed to be undertaken before the force could confirm the man shot dead was Freeman. He would not disclose what exactly led police to the area, but acknowledged the diligent work of his investigation team who undertook the operation. “The perseverance and persistence of this investigation team exploring every avenue open to them is what has led to this,” he said. “There’s lots to be done, we will keep the public updated about how this matter unfolds and is concluded.” Chief Commissioner Bush said no one else was in the vicinity of the area at the time, but police would conduct inquiries with the property owners and others in the area. “It would be very difficult for him to get where he was if it was in fact him, without assistance,” he said. “We don’t know at what point he left the Porepunkah area and ended up where he was found. “If anyone was complicit, they will be held to account.” No police officers were injured during the incident and it was yet to be determined if there were shots fired at police. The State Coroner, along with the Chief Commissioner, will attend the crime scene, and the investigation will be overseen by Professional Standards Command, as per standard process for a police shooting. A heavy police presence was expected to remain within the North East. Freeman had not been seen since fleeing his Rayner Track property in Porepunkah after allegedly shooting and killing Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de-Waart-Hottart and seriously injuring a third officer on the morning of 26 August, 2025. A team of 10 officers were executing a search warrant as part of an investigation by the Wangaratta Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team about 10:30am that day. Chief Commissioner Bush said the first people to be made aware of Monday’s operation were the victim’s families and the Wangaratta officers involved in the initial search warrant on 26 August. “I believe this has brought closure to them [families]… it brings closure to every member of Victoria Police,” he said. Immediately following the incident police have conducted multiple extensive searches within the Mount Buffalo National Park. Various Australian, New Zealand and state agencies have assisted with one of the largest searches in the country’s history, which involved more than 2000 police members. Taskforce Summit was established in October to coordinate the search for Freeman and investigators have been a daily presence within the Great Alpine area since. Chief Commissioner Bush acknowledged the community of Porepunkah and the surrounding area for their patience and perseverance shown following the tragic shooting. “This has had impact right across that part of Victoria, people have felt unsafe and we’ve done everything we can to assure them,” he said. “But for them, this should bring this to a conclusion.” Detectives investigated more than 2000 pieces of intelligence, including information received from the public. Chief Commissioner Bush was joined by lead investigators of the taskforce in Melbourne on Monday as he addressed the media. A reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Freeman’s arrest was on offer, the largest reward for an arrest in Victorian history. Chief Commissioner Bush said any distribution of the reward was to be kept confidential.