Australia police shooting suspect named as manhunt continues

Australian police are continuing a massive search for a heavily armed man suspected of shooting and killing two officers in a rural town.

Ten police officers were fired upon on Tuesday after travelling to the property in Porepunkah – about 300km (186 miles) north-east of Melbourne – to execute a warrant for alleged sexual offences.

Almost 24 hours later, police have named the suspect as local man Dezi Freeman, 56, and confirmed he is “still at large”.

Police have deployed officers, a helicopter and armoured vehicles to the area and warned locals to stay inside until Mr Freeman is caught.

“We are pouring every resource into the search,” Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Mike Bush said.

“Be vigilant, keep yourselves safe.”

He has previously said the two officers were “murdered in cold blood” and identified them as a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable – but said their names won’t be released until relatives had been informed.

A third officer who was injured in the shooting was now out of surgery, Mr Bush said, and though “significantly damaged” he would recover.

He also addressed previous reports by local media that Mr Freeman had taken his family hostage, adding that police had spoken to his partner and children and they were safe.

Authorities have had no sightings of Mr Freeman since he ran off after the shooting, and are focusing on “dense bush area” near his home.

“He will know that area better than us so that is why we are putting in every expert, supported by local knowledge,” Mr Bush said.

“Our understanding is that he understands bushcraft well which provides a challenge to us.”

Surrounded by heavily wooded hills in the Australian Alps, Porepunkah is only about an hour’s drive from the New South Wales border.

Mr Bush added that police are searching a “very, very wide” area and are also exploring whether Mr Freeman may have left the state – though there is “no information” at this point to suggest that has happened.

Australian media have widely reported that Mr Freeman is a “sovereign citizen”, referring to a person that falsely believes they aren’t subject to Australian laws and government authority.

Police have said it is too earlier to answer questions about Mr Freeman’s beliefs – but the incident has revived questions over how authorities deal with extremists views.

Some, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have noted the similarities between this attack and a shocking 2022 ambush on police in Queensland.

“We’ve seen this incident, and… we saw a tragic loss of life in Queensland as well previously,” he said in an interview with the ABC on Tuesday night.

“This threat is very real and that we need to be very vigilant about it.”