Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 29, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 29, 2026
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After a grueling six‑month manhunt, Victoria Police shot dead fugitive Dezi Freeman on March 30, 2026, at a rural property near Porepunkah. Freeman had been wanted for allegedly killing two officers and wounding a third while resisting a search warrant.
SYDNEY, March 30 (Reuters) - Australian police have shot dead a fugitive gunman who had been on the run since August after allegedly killing two officers in the state of Victoria, Australian media reported on Monday.
Police had been hunting for Dezi Freeman, previously known as Desmond Filby, since the shooting on a rural property that also injured a third officer. Authorities had offered an A$1 million ($684,700) reward for information leading to his capture.
Freeman allegedly opened fire on a team of 10 police officers, including members of the sexual offences and child investigation team, when they arrived at a property in Porepunkah, about 300 km (186 miles) northeast of Melbourne, to execute a search warrant.
Believed to have expert bushcraft skills and multiple powerful firearms, Freeman fled into bushland at Mount Buffalo National Park and had been described by local media as a "sovereign citizen" who regards the government as illegitimate.
The 56-year-old was shot at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday (2130 GMT, Sunday), the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.
Victoria Police said in a statement that a man was fatally shot by police at a property in northeast Victoria during an operation to locate Freeman but did not identify the man.
"No police officers were injured during the incident," the statement said, adding that further details would be released later on Monday.
($1 = 1.4605 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Sonali Paul)
The fugitive was Dezi Freeman, previously known as Desmond Filby, who was wanted for allegedly killing two police officers in Victoria, Australia.
The shooting occurred on a rural property near Porepunkah, about 300 km northeast of Melbourne, Victoria.
Dezi Freeman had been on the run since August and was found and shot dead in March.
No police officers were injured during the operation in which Freeman was shot dead.
Authorities offered an A$1 million reward for information leading to his capture.
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