Police probe fugitive's Porepunkah escape as new details emerge of fatal shooting

Police say a weapon which belonged to one of the slain police officers at Porepunkah was pulled on operatives by Desmond ‘Dezi’ Freeman, prior to being shot down on Monday morning. Speaking from the Murray River Road, Thologolong, scene of the deadly confrontation on Monday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said he had seen video footage of the three-hour stand-off earlier that morning. “We used every tactic possible to bring this to a safe conclusion, but the actions of the deceased dictated the outcome of this matter,” he said. “The deceased was given every opportunity to ensure there was a peaceful and a safe resolution.” Chief Commissioner Bush revealed police had received information of Freeman’s hideout days prior to Monday’s shooting and had been on surveillance in the area. Special Operations Group operatives along with Taskforce Summit detectives arrived on the property about 5:30am, 30 March. Freeman would eventually exit the makeshift shipping container allegedly holding the handgun of Wangaratta Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, who had died in the Porepunkah shooting in August last year. Just after 8:30am, Freeman was shot down by police. The State Coroner, who attended the crime scene on Monday, will conduct an independent investigation into the shooting and Freeman’s death. Chief Commissioner Bush said it remained unclear when or how Freeman left Porepunkah and was able to find himself at the hideout at Thologolong, which had been unoccupied for at least 24 hours prior to Monday’s siege. “We have no doubt people had come and gone from that property,” he said. “We have no sympathy or empathy for anyone who has harboured a police killer in the state of Victoria…. if anyone was complicit, they will be held to account. “It’s possible there were a number of people, but I can’t theorise on that, we will conduct a thorough investigation.” Freeman had not been seen since fleeing his Rayner Track property in Porepunkah after allegedly shooting and killing Det Led Sen Const Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and seriously injuring a third officer on the morning of 26 August, 2025. A team of 10 officers were executing a search warrant as part of an investigation by the Wangaratta Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team about 10:30am that day. It’s expected both investigations into Monday’s shooting and into Freeman’s whereabouts over the past several months would take “numerous” days. No police officers were injured during Monday’s shooting and it was yet to be determined if there were shots fired at police. A heavy police presence was expected to remain within the North East.

Police probe fugitive's Porepunkah escape as new details emerge of fatal shooting

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