- Victoria police have shot dead Dezi Freeman, 56, who had been on the run since fatally shooting two officers last August.
- Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, was killed at a rural property in northeastern Victoria following a large-scale manhunt.
- He had been sought since August when he shot senior officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart, and injured a third, during the execution of a search warrant for sex offences.
- Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush stated that the shooting appeared justified, and Freeman had declined an opportunity to surrender peacefully.
- Freeman identified as a “sovereign citizen” and was known for his distrust of government, with his views reportedly intensifying during the Covid pandemic.
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