On Monday, Australian police announced that a suspect, who allegedly killed two officers and injured a third about seven months ago, is believed to be dead after a police shooting.
Desi Freeman, 56, hasn’t been spotted since he reportedly opened fire on officers at his home near Porepanka, in Victoria, northeast of Melbourne, on August 26 of last year, according to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush.
A man suspected to be Freeman was shot and killed on Monday in a remote area near Torogorong, which is roughly a two-hour drive north of Porepanka.
Bush stated, “We believe he is the individual we were pursuing, but identification will need to go through a formal verification process,” which could take up to 48 hours involving fingerprinting and other methods.
Police, specifically the heavily armed Special Operations Group, engaged in a standoff for about three hours before the suspect was shot. During this time, Freeman was inside a shelter that resembled a shipping container and had accepted an offer from the police to surrender.
“Our focus was on resolving the situation as safely as possible. We aimed to arrest those involved as peacefully as we could,” Bush explained.
He mentioned a strong belief that the suspect was armed, though he couldn’t confirm if Freeman had fired at officers.
Reports suggested Freeman had ties to so-called sovereign citizen beliefs and held grievances against police forces. His skills in wilderness survival raised concerns that he could remain hidden indefinitely.
Following the incident where three officers were shot, a considerable manhunt unfolded across Victoria’s forested areas. Recently, police voiced suspicions that Freeman might have taken his own life.
“We needed to explore all investigative paths, and there were several signs indicating that he may have committed suicide,” Bush noted.
He also refrained from confirming whether authorities had tracked down the suspect based on a tip. A reward of 1 million Australian dollars (around $678,000) had been offered for information leading to Freeman’s capture.
Authorities are still probing whether anyone assisted him in evading arrest.
