Police return to shooting scene as slain officers named
Allanah Sciberras, Callum Godde and William Ton |
Police have returned to a rural property where two officers were allegedly ambushed and executed in cold blood, as their all-out land and air search continues.
Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, remains in lockdown on Wednesday afternoon as police pursue the accused gunman Dezi Freeman – also known as Desmond Filby – after he fled into bushland.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were killed while attempting to serve a search warrant at the property on the outskirts of the town on Tuesday morning.
Another wounded officer is expected to recover after undergoing surgery.
“This devastating loss of Neal and Vadim has struck at the heart of Victoria Police, the broader policing family and the community of Porepunkah,” Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said.
“In the coming days, weeks and months, we will all grieve this loss and deeply miss our colleagues and friends who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.”
The weather in Victoria’s high country continues to deteriorate on Wednesday as the search focuses back on the property.
Several police cars, some with NSW plates, were seen driving to the blocked-off property.
Two helicopters were searching the alpine region, with one hovering on top of the property before leaving just after 2pm.
A no-fly zone, spanning about 7.5km, for all aircraft and drones has been granted by the aviation bureau and will run until at least 11.30pm on August 29.
Police confirmed there has still been no sighting of Freeman in a statement at 2pm on Wednesday.
They released a photo of the suspect, who was described as Caucasian, 183cm tall, medium build, short dark hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing dark green tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses.
Marty Robinson, who has known Freeman for about 30 years, suggested the fugitive was highly intelligent.
He couldn’t say for certain but believes Freeman is bunkered down in bushland.
“He will survive out there,” he told AAP.
“He’s the modern-day Ned Kelly.”
Glen Siege, whose family runs a caravan park close to property, said he knew the “bush like the back of his hand”.
“There’s a lot of mine shafts and dugouts up in the bush,” he told AAP.
“They (police) have got some challenges and I feel sorry for them.”
Mr Bush conceded Freeman knew the area better than police and warned he could be carrying multiple high-powered guns.
“He understands bush craft well,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
Police are confident he has not crossed the NSW border but their state counterparts are on high alert.
Freeman was known to police and a risk assessment was completed before 10 officers, local police and others from the sexual offences and child investigation team, executed the warrant.
The surviving officers hunkered down and returned fire but he managed to evade police.
Freeman’s partner and children went to a police station on Tuesday night and have since been interviewed.
A police vantage point has been established at Feathertop Winery.
A police text message told residents to stay indoors, with the local school closed on Wednesday after being locked down following the shootings.
Freeman is believed to be a sovereign citizen, an ideology that questions government authority and whose followers believe the rule of law doesn’t apply to them and who disassociate from society.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia’s security intelligence had previously warned about “far-right extremism” involving so-called sovereign citizens.
“The fact this ideology of not seeing themselves being subject to our laws and our society … is of real concern,” he told ABC television on Tuesday night.
He also drew similarities between the alleged incident and another in Wieambilla in 2022, when two Queensland officers conducting a welfare check were shot dead by people who identified as sovereign citizens.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan described Freeman as a criminal and said the law applied to everyone.
AAP
