Australian police have shot dead a fugitive wanted for the murder of two officers, ending a massive seven-month search across rugged terrain. Desmond Freeman, 56, was located at a remote caravan site in rural Victoria and killed after refusing to surrender. Police Commissioner Mike Bush described the shooting as justified.
Police tracked Desmond Freeman to a caravan on a remote property in Thologolong, near the Victoria-New South Wales border. Officers shot him following a standoff where he ignored calls to surrender peacefully, Bush told reporters. While the body awaits formal identification by the state coroner, police believe it is Freeman. Local residents noted the site's isolation, with no house but caravans and containers, and expressed surprise at how he evaded capture for so long. Jasmine Teese, a Thologolong resident, said the location is off the grid and not easy to find without prior knowledge. Cattle farmer Mike Gadd called it hard to believe Freeman stayed hidden there undetected. Bush added that Freeman likely received assistance from locals sympathetic to his anti-authority views, given the difficulty of reaching the spot unaided. The manhunt, one of Australia's largest, involved hundreds of officers, helicopters, dog squads and reinforcements from New Zealand. It followed Freeman's August flight into bushland after he killed Detective Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, during a raid on his Porepunkah home. A third officer was wounded in the incident, linked to a sexual offences and child investigation squad. Freeman, a self-described conspiracy theorist and sovereign citizen adherent, had ranted against police in court, likening them to Nazis. A AU$1 million reward had been offered for information leading to his capture. The Police Association of Victoria praised the officers' courage, stating they would remember the fallen members' bravery rather than dwell on the fugitive.