2025 killing of police officers in Victoria, Australia
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The Porepunkah police shootings occurred on the morning of 26 August 2025 in Porepunkah, Victoria, Australia. Victoria Police were at a property to execute a warrant against Dezi Bird Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen known to police, before he allegedly opened fire on the officers. Two Victoria Police officers, Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart,[1] were killed and a third was injured.[2][3][4][5]
Freeman fled from police into bushland, prompting a manhunt involving hundreds of police officers, with support from the Australian Defence Force. Freeman has been on the run for 11 days.
Background
Freeman went to school in Glen Waverley before moving to Wodonga in 1977 as a child. [3][6] At the time of the shooting, he lived with his wife Amalia and their children at a property in Porepunkah.[7][8] Neighbours reported the property also housed a group of people other than Freeman's family.[9][7] He was previously known as Desmond Christopher Filby,[9] but changed his last name to Freeman; the sovereign citizen movement is also known as the "free man" movement.[10] Freeman had previously been involved in a dispute with his neighbours in 2018.[11][12] He was a regular churchgoer.[13]
The shooter was identified as 56-year-old Dezi Bird Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen.[3][14] Freeman had previously referred to police as "gestapo", "terrorist thugs", "friggin' Nazi s" and "corrupt filth" in court, posted online that "the only good cop is a dead cop, preferably incinerated",[15] and was associated with an attempt to bring a private prosecution of treason against former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.[16][9][17] In 2021, Freeman was arrested outside an anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protest at the Myrtleford courthouse. Locals said during the COVID-19 pandemic Freeman began to behave increasingly erratically, refusing to wear a mask in stores, voicing his refusal to get vaccinated and telling people about his distaste for government restrictions and lockdowns.[3]
Shootings
At approximately 10:30am on 26 August 2025, ten Victoria Police officers, made up of local officers and members of the sexual offences and child abuse investigation team, attended a property near Porepunkah, a rural town 320 km (199 mi) northeast of Melbourne.[18] Police intended to execute a warrant against Freeman as part of a firearms prohibition order in relation to sexual offences against a child under the age of 16 that allegedly took place within the past two years.[19][20][21]
The property is said to be a compound with multiple people living there. It was not owned by Freeman, who was at the time living on a bus on the property with his wife and two children.[7][22] Despite initial reports of Freeman allegedly taking his family hostage, police stated following the incident, his partner and children attended a police station and "there is nothing to suggest they were ever in the company of the suspect following today's incident."[23] Police confirmed on 3 September that Amalia Freeman was home at the time of the alleged shooting by her husband, and could potentially be charged for obstruction due to a lack of co-operation with police.[24][25]
Upon arrival at the property, the ten officers began searching an abandoned bus on the property. They were then ambushed and subject to heavy gunfire, killing two officers and wounding a third. The wounded officer, shot in the leg, hid under the bus for nearly an hour until help arrived. He was later flown to The Alfred Hospital in a stable condition and underwent surgery.[19] Freeman escaped the scene alone, allegedly taking the sidearms of the two dead officers.[23] He is believed to be armed with a homemadeshotgun and multiple other weapons which have not been disclosed by police.[26][27]
Local residents were advised to stay indoors while the suspect was still at large, and Porepunkah Primary School was placed under lockdown, before students returned home later in the afternoon.[28][29] Wet, cold and windy weather conditions are making the search more difficult.[30]
Manhunt
Over 450 police officers have been deployed to the Porepunkah search area and shootings scene.[31] The alpine terrain of the region featuring many natural caves, disused mineshafts and potential hideouts are hindering the search effort. Ambulance and SES volunteers are also assisting.[32]
Freeman is said to be an experienced bushman, and it is speculated by locals he could survive in the mountainous region for weeks.[32]
At 8:40pm on 28 August, a house on Chandler Court in Porepunkah was raided by police. A 42-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy were subsequently arrested, interviewed, and released pending further inquiries. Victoria Police confirmed the arrests related to the Porepunkah police shootings.[36][37][38] At a press conference the following day, Mike Bush, Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner, confirmed the woman arrested was Freeman's wife, Amalia, and the boy was his son.[39][40][41]
On the sixth day of the manhunt (31 August), Freeman's wife Amalia publicly urged her husband to surrender and offered support to Victoria Police, saying she "does not hold anti-authority views", and expressed her condolences and sorrow for the loss of the deceased officers.[33]
On 1 September, police stated they believed that members of the Porepunkah community knew where Freeman was hiding, and that they were helping him hide from police.[42] Police have set up a site in the nearby town of Bright where members of the public can come and provide information on Freeman's whereabouts.[43]
Victims
Those killed were Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, aged 59, and Belgian-born Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, aged 35. Thompson, a 38-year police veteran, was planning to retire soon.[44] Thompson was chosen to serve the warrant as he had previously dealt with Freeman and had established a rapport with him. He was first to knock on Freeman's door, where he was shot and killed.[45]
Another detective was shot in the leg, requiring surgery.[4]
The funeral of De Waart-Hottart was held on 5 September 2025 at the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley, attended by more than 1000 mourners including his parents and brother.[46]
Reactions
Flowers left in Melbourne, Victoria in memory of Thompson and De Waart-Hottart, who were killed in the shootings.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said "the threat of 'sovereign citizens' and extremist ideologies must be taken seriously."[47] Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said "our officers meet danger with such enormous courage and dedication".[48] Chief commissioner of Victoria Police, Mike Bush, said the incident was a "devastating loss".[22]Helen Haines, member of parliament for Indi, which covers Porepunkah, called the deaths of the officers an "extreme and heartbreaking tragedy", and disavowed "extreme ideological perspectives" involving acting outside of the law.[49]
Many landmarks across Victoria were lit up at night on 27 August in blue to pay tribute to the two policemen killed.[50] A moment of silence was held in memory of the killed police officers in the Parliament of Australia on 28 August, and flags at Victorian government buildings were flown at half-mast.[51] Floral tributes were also left at Wangaratta's police station.[51][52] The Northern Territory Parliament was also lit up in blue on 5 and 6 September.[53]
Australian and international journalists compared the incident with the 2022 Wieambilla shootings, in which perpetrator Gareth Train was also a sovereign citizen who shot police dead in a rural community.[54][55][56]
On 31 August, at the anti-immigration March for Australia rallies a protester at the Adelaide rally was seen holding a placard depicting Freeman. This action was widely condemned by police leaders and premiers across Australia. Police arrested and charged the man with displaying offensive material in a public place a few days later.[57][58]
Local Porepunkah businesses are struggling with the town effectively being placed into lockdown during the manhunt. The town is largely supported by tourism, particularly skiing and snow sports. During the search for Freeman, the region experienced heavy snowfall that would usually bring a surge of tourism and business, but has been suppressed by the ongoing manhunt.[59]
Locals have expressed hope that Porepunkah does not become infamous for the shootings and instead remains a popular tourism destination.[60]
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