Two Victoria Police officers were shot dead and a third seriously wounded while serving a warrant at a property in Porepunkah, northeast Victoria, on Tuesday morning. The deceased officers are a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable.
Suspect Dezi Freeman, 56, a self-proclaimed "sovereign citizen", fled into bushland after allegedly stealing the dead officers' guns and police radio. The manhunt continues with more than 100 officers searching the alpine region near Mount Buffalo.
Traffic stop vendetta
Freeman's deadly hatred of police began with a routine traffic stop on September 28, 2020, when he was pulled over for speeding on the Great Alpine Road near Porepunkah. He was charged with speeding, refusing to provide an oral fluid sample for testing, and using a mobile phone while driving.
The self-proclaimed sovereign citizen had his licence cancelled for two years but appealed through multiple courts. His final Supreme Court application was dismissed in November last year, after he branded police "frigging Nazis", "Gestapo" and "terrorist thugs" during proceedings.
Extreme court rants
Freeman's vendetta escalated through years of legal battles where he claimed he was "acting in self-defence" during the original traffic stop. He told the court: "I felt threatened and preyed upon, even the sight of a cop or a cop car, it's like an Auschwitz survivor seeing a Nazi soldier."
"What's worse than a swastika is the inverted pentagram, the Satanic symbol that they wear and they behave like it as well," Freeman ranted during his County Court appeal. He insisted the traffic stop was "unlawful conduct" and claimed he was protecting his children from police harassment.
Manhunt continues
The warrant being served was related to historic sex abuse allegations. Freeman's wife and two children are safe and not with him during the manhunt, police confirmed late Tuesday night.
According to the Independent, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese specifically warned about the sovereign citizen threat, referencing previous Queensland police deaths and ASIO warnings about far-right extremism. The property was described as an isolated compound with a "bloody prison" gate and keypad entry.
Community impact
The shootings occurred near Mount Buffalo Caravan Park in the close-knit community of Porepunkah, population 1,024. Campers were moved to secure cabins and police advised residents not to leave keys in their cars.
Premier Jacinta Allan advised Victorians to avoid the area and follow police advice. "The thoughts of all Victorians are with the police force following the shootings," she said.
Sources used: "Daily Mail", "Independent", "Mirror", "BBC", "Express", "Manchester Evening News" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
