← Back to diffwire

Police kill double-cop killer Desmond 'Dezi' Freeman in Victoria

6 articles | Updated 3h ago | Created 6h ago
Story image

Australian fugitive and former cop-killer Dezi (Desmond) Freeman was shot dead by heavily armed police during a hours-long stand-off inside an abandoned shipping container near the border with New South Wales on March 31, ending his seven-month escape from justice in rural Victoria after killing two officers.

  1. 1
    Australian fugitive Dezi Freeman, who is suspected sovereign citizen and has been at large for seven months since killing two police officers in August, was shot dead by Victoria Police.
  2. 2
    Police conducted an hours-long standoff with the suspect before he surrendered into a shipping container near Walwa on March 30 after reportedly refusing to surrender earlier that morning around 8:15 am (implied from context of 'shortly' vs specific time).
  3. 3
    Victoria's top cop warned anyone who helped Freeman evade police capture for seven months in regional Victoria faces potential prosecution.
  4. 4
    Freeman was found dead at a rural address northeast of Porepunkah, approximately 8.30 am on Monday morning.
[Mar 29] Police confirmed the death and location (shipping container near Walwa) shortly after Freeman was found; reports indicate he refused to surrender initially before being shot dead around 8:30 am.
[Mar 30, Mar.29] Victoria Police issued a warning that accomplices who helped hide the fugitive for seven months could face up to twenty years in jail and are continuing their probe into his survival network.
Inside the underground network of sovereign citzens suspected of helping hide double-cop killer Dezi Freeman during his seven months on the run in rural Victoria

Police received a tip-off from someone close to Dezi Freeman, who had gone on seven months' run after killing two officers in August. Authorities believe he was aided by underground sovereign citizens before being shot dead during an early Monday morning standoff near Walwa while police attempted negotiations with him inside his container hideout.

What we know so far about the shooting of fugitive Desmond ‘Dezi’ Freeman
Freeman was likely given help to evade police. Accomplices risk 20 years in jail

Police shot dead fugitive Desmond Filby (Dezi Freeman) near Walwa on Monday morning while negotiating with him for hours during an operation to locate the man responsible for killing two officers. The suspect had been at large since August 26, when he allegedly opened fire after police attempted a search warrant in Porepunkah; his accomplices face up to twenty years imprisonment if caught alive and no other suspects are currently detained.

Dezi Freeman: Victoria Police issue warning to anyone who helped cop killer survive and hide for seven months
Dezi Freeman LIVE updates: Fugitive is slammed as a 'coward' after cops gunned him down in a shipping container