The questions still to be answered after Dezi Freeman’s death
Dezi Freeman’s death has brought a seven-month investigation to an end, but several questions remain unanswered.
The accused cop killer was armed and wrapped in a blanket when he was shot dead by police in a three-hour operation in Thologolong, north-east Victoria, just before 8.30am.
He had evaded police since fatally shooting two officers and seriously injuring a third during the execution of an arrest warrant at a rural property in Porepunkah on August 26.
The self-described sovereign citizen and vocal critic of police was last seen fleeing into the bushland.
What has Dezi Freeman been doing this whole time?
Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush said they have a “strong theory” on what Freeman’s movements were in the 24 to 48 hours after the shooting.
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But he did not reveal the details to reporters.
Freeman has been on the run from police for the past seven months after he shot dead Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, on August 26.
Officers from the sexual offences and child investigation team had been at the property to execute a search warrant.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Freeman fled into the bush near the Mount Buffalo National Park.
Freeman has since been evading what Bush has described as “one of the most significant resourced, largely resourced police operations in history”.
It’s hard to say what he could have been up to, besides obviously avoiding the public eye.
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Where has Dezi Freeman been hiding?
Freeman was this morning found in a converted container that was akin to a “long caravan” in Thologolong.
Thologolong is over two hours north-east of Porepunkah and on the border with NSW and along the Murray River.
It is a tiny town with a population of just 22 people, according to the 2021 census.
Thologolong was where bushfires ravaged towns in early January, with firefighters responding to defend properties from the damaging flames.
Bush said Freeman’s hiding place was “some distance” from the fire zone and more details would be revealed about its exact location.
At this stage, it is unclear how long Freeman had been in Thologolong.
Everyone associated with the rural property will be questioned by police about their connection to the fugitive.
There is no suggestion anyone associated with the property had assisted Freeman or had any knowledge that Freeman was there.
How did Dezi Freeman survive?
This is one of the biggest questions that investigators will need to answer.
Bush told reporters this morning he is “sure” that some people had helped Freeman to flee Porepunkah.
“It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was, if that is in fact him, without assistance,” he said.
“We will be speaking to anybody who we suspect may have assisted him to avoid detection or arrest.”
Bush said anyone “complicit” in helping Freeman evade police would face charges.
In the days after the shooting in Porepunkah, police said they believed Freeman had a potentially large network of supporters helping and harbouring him.
Freeman was armed with a gun when he was confronted by police. There were also several vehicles at the property.
Police are working to understand whether the gun was the one he had when he first fled police and whether the cars were used by him.
How the items and the container came into his possession will form part of the police investigation.
Freeman was known to have survival skills and a keen sense of the bushland in the area, particularly the Mount Buffalo National Park.
Police had admitted that Freeman knew more about the bushland than they did and could survive for weeks.
His son, 20-year-old Koah Freeman, had previously compared him to “Rambo”.
Months after August 26, police said they believed Freeman was dead but would continue to investigate his whereabouts.
Who found Dezi Freeman?
Bush confirmed police received a tip-off but would not say whether that led them to find Freeman in Thologolong.
Police had received more than 2000 tip-offs in relation to their investigation, but none of the sightings was verified.
Officers surrounded the property about 5.30am today and were in a three-hour stand-off with Freeman.
They pleaded with him to peacefully surrender, but he was armed with a gun when he came out of the container.
“There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not,” Bush said.
Police opened fire and fatally shot him about 8.30am today.
Has the $1 million reward been claimed?
There had been a $1 million reward offered for any information leading to Freeman’s location or arrest – a historic first for Victoria.
The Victoria Police website’s page on Dezi Freeman and the reward was taken down today.
But Bush would not reveal any details about whether someone had claimed the reward.
“Anything in relation to any reward or anything else about the investigation will be kept confidential,” he said.