On August 28, Australian police took arianism to arrest Dezi Freeman (56 years old) - the accused who shot two police officers to death and injured another one before fleeing into the forest near the town of Porepunkah, Victoria. The incident occurred when authorities arrived at the man's house to execute a search warrant.
According to the police, the suspect is said to have many weapons, had survival skills in the forest and was knowledgeable about local terrain, making the search especially difficult. "We will not rest until we have him," Mr. Russell Barrett - Deputy Police Secretary of Victoria in charge of the area - affirmed.
Police have questioned Freeman's wife, searched several homes and believe the suspect remains in the area, although there have been no reports confirming the whereabouts. Those who conceal Freeman will be prosecuted, Barrett warned.
The authorities also advised people not to move to the surrounding snow mountains because of "complex terrain, very difficult to access", according to Mr. Brett Kahan - Director of Victoria Police.
In the short-range gunfight at the scene, two police officers were killed, Mr. Neal Thompson (59 years old) and Mr. Vadim De Waart (35 years old). The injured have undergone surgery and are expected to recover.
Australian media has described Freeman as a supporter of the "civil rights movement," which denies the authority of the law. In a previous speeding lawsuit, Freeman called the police "charging", "Gestapo" and "terrorism" - according to the court ruling. The police have not commented on this information.
Fatal shootings are rare in Australia, especially when police officers are killed. In 2023, only 3 officers died in individual incidents. Previously, a shocking incident occurred in December 2022 in the town of Wieambilla, Queensland, when four police officers were attacked, killing six people, including two police officers.
Australia has banned automatic and semi-automatic guns since 1996 after a shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania, killed 35 people. However, this incident continues to raise concerns about the safety of law enforcement forces.
