Australian police battle wintry weather in alpine manhunt for ‘heavily armed’ gunman

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SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian police battled wintry weather on Wednesday as they searched alpine bushland for a “heavily armed” gunman who allegedly shot dead two officers and injured another at a rural property in the state of Victoria.

Police said day two of the manhunt was “tough going” for officers, with the threat of snow and no sighting of the suspect, 56-year-old Dezi Freeman, who they said had expert bushcraft skills and multiple powerful firearms.

“I can confirm that the suspect for this horrific event is still at large,” Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said at a news conference on Wednesday morning.

“The hunt will continue until we find him.”

On Tuesday, a team of 10 police officers, including members of the sexual offences and child investigation team, arrived at a property in Porepunkah, about 300 km (186 miles) northeast of the city of Melbourne, to execute a search warrant.

Freeman, previously known as Desmond Filby, is alleged to have fired on the group, killing two officers and injuring another before fleeing on foot into dense bushland, police said.

Police later identified the victims as Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35. Thompson had a 38-year career in the police force and was preparing for his “imminent retirement”, while De Waart, a Belgian native, joined the force in 2018.

Amid media speculation that Freeman had taken his wife and children hostage after the shooting, police confirmed they had spoken with the family and they were safe.

Porepunkah is home to around 1,000 residents and is located at the base of Australia’s alpine ranges.

Bush said winter weather conditions in the region made the search “tough going” for police and that Freeman “will know the area better than us”.

“He understands bushcraft well, which provides a challenge for us,” Bush said, adding Freeman was “heavily armed” with multiple firearms and urging the local community to stay indoors.

Police described Freeman as Caucasian, 183 centimetres (6 feet) tall, with dark hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing dark green clothes.

Local media outlets reported that police believed Freeman was a “sovereign citizen” who believes the government is illegitimate.

Video footage and court records show Freeman campaigned against COVID-19 lockdowns and attempted to prosecute then Victorian state premier Dan Andrews for treason and fraud in 2021.

Freeman has also previously referred to police as “Nazis” and “terrorist thugs”, according to a court case where he unsuccessfully attempted to challenge a driver’s licence suspension.

(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)