Two Victoria Police officers were shot and killed while serving a warrant at a rural property in Porepunkah on Tuesday morning. A third officer was wounded and is undergoing surgery at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
The victims were a 59-year-old detective who was days away from retirement and a 35-year-old senior constable. They were among ten officers who went to execute a warrant related to historical sex abuse allegations at around 10:30am.
Dezi Freeman, 56, allegedly opened fire on the officers as they entered a bus where he was living with his family on the 20-hectare property. Freeman then fled the scene and remains at large, considered heavily armed and extremely dangerous.
Reality star caught in lockdown
Bachelor star Heather Maltman found herself trapped in the lockdown zone while holidaying across the road from the shooting scene. The 40-year-old, who appeared in season three of the reality show, was forced to take shelter for nearly six hours.
"It started out as a nice day in the mountains. And suddenly we, along with 30 other cars, are hostages in Mt Buffalo because (of) a piece of s*** with a gun who decided to kill police officers," she wrote on social media.
Rather than wait helplessly, Maltman and her partner Matt Baker decided to help other stranded civilians. They distributed food and helped get vehicles running, including offering a battery starter to police.
Massive manhunt continues
Hundreds of officers from multiple units including the Armed Crime Squad and Fugitive Squad are searching the rugged alpine wilderness. A Leonardo AW139 helicopter equipped with infrared thermal imaging is being used to search through the night.
Freeman is believed to be a member of the 'sovereign citizen' movement, a radical group that rejects government authority and follows conspiracy theories. He allegedly took firearms from the dead officers before escaping.
The incident draws parallels to the 2022 Wieambilla shootings in rural Queensland, where sovereign citizens killed two police constables. Freeman's partner and children attended a police station on Tuesday evening, with no indication they were with the suspect after the shooting.
Community impact
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said the seven other officers present were physically unharmed but "very traumatised" by what he described as a "straight-out execution." The township near the popular tourist destination of Bright remains in lockdown.
Maltman praised the community's resilience during the crisis. "THIS community has been rocked. But do not think they are broken," she wrote. "All I have seen today is resilience. Kindness."
The property where Freeman lived has been described by neighbours as "like a bloody prison" with a huge gate and keypad entry. Police continue to urge residents in and around Porepunkah to remain indoors until further notice.
Sources used: "Daily Mail", "The Independent", "The Mirror", "Manchester Evening News"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
