Australian police have shot and killed Dezi Freeman after the double-murderer spent seven months on the run. A well-known conspiracy theorist, Freeman gunned down two police officers on his property in the small Victorian town of Porepunkah last August, before fleeing into dense bushland and evading extensive searches.
Victoria Police say a man was shot dead after an hours-long standoff at a rural property in the state's north-east on Monday morning. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush stated the man is believed to be Freeman, 56, but formal identification is still underway. Today an evil man is dead, said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. It's over.
Police surrounded a building - described as a cross between a shipping container and a long caravan - on a rural property around 5:30 local time. After three hours and multiple police pleas, a man believed to be Freeman came outside and was shot dead. Bush noted that the man emerged wrapped in a blanket and armed with a gun, possibly one taken from one of the slain officers back in August.
Our ultimate goal was to arrest the person, Bush stated. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully but he did not. No officers were hurt during the operation, which will be investigated, as is standard following police shootings.
Freeman, whose real name was Desmond Filby, was part of an anti-government movement that rejects authority and laws. Locals in Porepunkah said he had lived on his property with his wife and children. The area was shut down after the double murder, with a reward offered for information leading to Freeman's capture.
Last month, police renewed their search, believing Freeman could be dead. Bush indicated that there was a lot to suggest that Freeman had taken his own life, but they kept an open mind regarding the investigation.
With Freeman's death, the families of the deceased officers have been notified, bringing closure to what was a tragic and terrible event in Porepunkah.
Victoria Police say a man was shot dead after an hours-long standoff at a rural property in the state's north-east on Monday morning. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush stated the man is believed to be Freeman, 56, but formal identification is still underway. Today an evil man is dead, said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. It's over.
Police surrounded a building - described as a cross between a shipping container and a long caravan - on a rural property around 5:30 local time. After three hours and multiple police pleas, a man believed to be Freeman came outside and was shot dead. Bush noted that the man emerged wrapped in a blanket and armed with a gun, possibly one taken from one of the slain officers back in August.
Our ultimate goal was to arrest the person, Bush stated. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully but he did not. No officers were hurt during the operation, which will be investigated, as is standard following police shootings.
Freeman, whose real name was Desmond Filby, was part of an anti-government movement that rejects authority and laws. Locals in Porepunkah said he had lived on his property with his wife and children. The area was shut down after the double murder, with a reward offered for information leading to Freeman's capture.
Last month, police renewed their search, believing Freeman could be dead. Bush indicated that there was a lot to suggest that Freeman had taken his own life, but they kept an open mind regarding the investigation.
With Freeman's death, the families of the deceased officers have been notified, bringing closure to what was a tragic and terrible event in Porepunkah.
