In brief
In the small Australian town of Porepunkah, a tragic incident has left two police officers dead during a gunfire exchange while executing a warrant. The victims were identified as Detective Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart. Local man Dezi Freeman, the primary suspect, remains on the run, prompting an extensive manhunt.
Two police officers who were shot dead while on duty in a rural Australian town have been named, as a massive search continues for their alleged killer. Victoria Police identified the victims as 59-year-old Detective Neal Thompson - a local officer on the brink of retirement - and 35-year-old Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.The pair had travelled to the property in Porepunkah, north-east of Melbourne, alongside eight colleagues to execute a warrant for alleged sexual offences. Another officer was seriously injured in the shootout but is recovering after surgery.Police say the suspect - named as local man Dezi Freeman, 56 - is heavily armed and still at large more than 24 hours on.Thompson joined the force in 1987 and worked with the major fraud and crime squads before moving to the town of Wangaratta - an hour from Porepunkah - in 2007. A great lover of the outdoors, he was planning for his imminent retirement.De Waart was temporarily posted to Wangarratta, but lived in Melbourne, where the avid traveller had moved from Belgium. In a statement, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said the devastating loss of the two officers struck at the heart of both the broader policing family and the Porepunkah community. It is not lost on me that our members take a risk every time they go to work to protect the Victorian community, he said. While we all live with the knowledge that the worst could happen on a shift, we don't expect it to.Groups of officers, a helicopter and at least one armoured vehicle are combing the dense bushland where Mr Freeman absconded - a task locals have likened to finding a needle in a haystack. Authorities warn residents to stay indoors until he is caught. Misty-Rose Wilson, a local business operator, noted that those seeking Mr Freeman would face difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions. Knowing how hard it would be to track through that area, it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack to be quite honest.This incident reignites discussions on how authorities handle individuals with extreme beliefs, particularly those involved in conspiracy theories, like Mr Freeman, who has previously described himself as a 'sovereign citizen' and expressed hostility towards government authority. Police have confirmed that Mr Freeman's family is safe and have refuted earlier media reports suggesting that he had taken them hostage.
