Australian police shoot dead suspect in officer killings
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Australian police fatally shot a man believed to be Dezi Freeman following a three-hour standoff near Thologolong, Victoria, seven months after he allegedly killed two officers and wounded a third.
- Freeman, who had not been seen since the August 2023 shooting at his home near Porepunkah, was inside a shelter during the standoff and did not accept an offer to surrender peacefully.
- Police suspect Freeman was armed and had survival skills that helped him evade capture in the wilderness, but it remains unclear if he fired at officers during the standoff.
- Freeman, a disabled pensioner with sovereign citizen beliefs, had a history of anti-government actions and legal confrontations, including attempting to arrest a magistrate and prosecuting a state premier.
- Authorities are continuing investigations into whether others assisted Freeman in avoiding arrest and are awaiting formal identification of the deceased, with a $1 million Australian dollar reward having been offered for information.
