Chilling images have been revealed of the shipping containers where fugitive Dezi Freeman was found in Victoria’s northeast before he was shot to death in a standoff with police after more than seven months on the run.
Freeman was shot dead by police shortly after 8.30am Monday in a shipping container at a rural property in Victoria’s northeast.
Police said the shooting occurred after a stand-off with Freeman, which lasted for “several hours”.
Officers involved in the stand-off were called to the rural area about 5.30am, with Freeman fatally shot three hours later.
Mr Bush said Freeman was hiding in a “cross between a shipping container and a very long caravan”.
Footage from 7News revealed the cluster of shipping containers at the rural location where the fugitive was fatally shot.
One of the blue shipping containers was swarmed by cars.
It is not known if Freeman had access to any of the vehicles in the area.
Victoria’s top police officer said it is “quite possible” Freeman was armed and wrapped in a blanket when he was shot dead.
Asked about the reports Freeman was armed and wrapped in a blanket during Monday morning’s confrontation, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said it was “quite possible”.“A lot of the information we have is yet to be confirmed,” he said.
“But that is our – my – understanding at this stage.”
Bush said there was a “very large team” involved in the standoff on Monday morning.
“There was an appeal to encourage the person to come out,” he said.
“We are examining the sequence of events and we will be able to report on that, but it did result from a stand-off, the deployment of tactics.
“He then exited the building.
“There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not.”
Bush said while police believe the man was Freeman, he had not formally been identified.
“Whilst it’s been reported that person is Dezi Freeman, we have to run through a very formal identification process, so Victoria Police at this stage will not confirm the identity of that person until that process has been undertaken,” he said.
“Should it be confirmed that the deceased is Freeman, this brings closure to what was a tragic and terrible event.
“The very first people to be made aware of the outcome of this operation were the families of the officers tragically killed on 26 August and all of the members that were involved on that day.”
Sources say there was a shootout on the property that police attended after a tip-off that Freeman may have been there. He was apparently found in a shipping container.
Police received more than 2000 pieces of information in the 216-day search for Freeman.
“A man has been fatally shot by police at a property in northeast Victoria this morning as part of the operation to locate Desmond Freeman,” police said on Monday.
“No police officers were injured during the incident.
“The State Coroner will attend the scene and the investigation will be oversighted by Professional Standards Command, as per standard process for a police shooting.
“Further information will be released today as the situation develops.”
Freeman, formerly Filby, has been wanted by police since two officers were gunned down at a remote property at Porepunkah, in Victoria’s northeast, while they were trying to execute a search warrant on August 26.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were killed, and a third police officer was seriously injured during the shooting.
Police last saw the 56-year-old flee into bushland while armed with guns near the Rayner Track property.
In a statement, the Police Association Victoria said the fugitive’s death was a “step forward”.
“Our members said they would find him. They did,” the statement read.
“Closure isn’t the right word. This represents a step forward for our members, for the families of our fallen members and for the community.
“It doesn’t lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public.”
The association said they would not “reflect on the loss of a coward”.
“We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer that has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community,” their statement read.
“They have worked tirelessly. During this emergency, in the operation that followed and the months thereafter, members across the state have devoted themselves to this singular pursuit.
“Days like today offer a sobering reminder that policing happens while you sleep, when the media spotlight on the investigation dims and everything seems lost and forgotten.”
Speaking to media on Monday, Victoria Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said her wishes were with the Porepunkah community.
“The main thing is our thoughts, concerns and support with the Porepunkah community, and of course the families of the two police officers were killed in that tragedy nearly six months ago,” she said.
Local MP Helen Haines said the manhunt for the cop killer was a”dark cloud”.
“Over the past six months, a dark cloud has hung over the Porepunkah community. News this morning of the death of Mr Freeman draws this prolonged and devastating incident to a close,” she said.
“This will come as a relief to the whole community – especially to the families of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, and their colleagues.
Freeman was a self-described “sovereign citizen”, married father of two and an experienced bushman who had previously been hostile towards police and the judicial system.
Sovereign citizens generally reject the democratic rule of law and the legitimacy of the government, instead promoting alternative structures of authority and promoting narratives that aim to delegitimise Australian democracy.
A large-scale manhunt involving 450 Victoria Police officers, Australian Defence Force members, Australian Federal Police and officers from other states searched for the double-murderer using heat detecting assets and other technology.
Heavily armed officers in Bearcats and police vehicles were seen searching Freeman’s property.
More than 100 properties in the Porepunkah region were also searched by police in the hunt for the alleged gunman.
There was speculation Freeman could be hiding underground in one of the hundreds of mineshafts in the area or was being harboured by sympathisers.
A $1m reward was offered to anyone who provided information that led to his arrest.
A no-fly zone was in place banning all aircraft, including drones, from flying within a 7.5km zone of Porepunkah Airport.
“Given the suspect in this matter is heavily armed, this condition has been granted due to the risk to aircraft and drones,” police said.
The two officers shot dead at Porepunkah were named as Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.
The officers were gunned down at a property outside Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, while executing a search warrant in August.
Detective Thompson was about to retire after 38 years of service with Victoria Police. He was laid to rest on September 8, with his partner Sergeant Lisa Thompson describing him as an “incredible man” and the love of her life.
“We worked one shift together and it changed the course of my life,” she said.
“In just eight hours, I learned so much about him … his passion for the [Essendon] Bombers, hunting, fishing and catching crooks.”
“I had never laughed so much with someone I’d just met.”
Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart, 35, was laid to rest on September 5.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said de Waart-Hottart was on temporary assignment in Wangaratta at the time of the alleged shooting. His brother Sacha said the senior constable had “always been my hero, my protector”.
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