Monthslong manhunt for fugitive sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman ends in police shooting
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- A massive manhunt in Australia ended with the fatal shooting of a fugitive believed to be Dezi Freeman, who had been on the run for seven months after killing two police officers in rural Victoria.
- Freeman, a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen,” disappeared into the wilderness after shooting at officers serving a search warrant related to alleged sex crimes on his property.
- Police located Freeman after a three-hour standoff at a rural property, where he was shot dead following a refusal to surrender despite opportunities to do so.
- The manhunt involved hundreds of officers from across Australia and New Zealand, working through over 2,000 leads, with questions remaining about whether Freeman received assistance to evade capture.
- Authorities view Freeman’s death as closure for the tragic killing of the officers and highlighted the violent threat posed by the sovereign citizen movement, which rejects legal authority and has gained influence in Australia.
