Dezi Freeman, the man accused of fatally shooting two Victorian police officers in 2025, has been killed by police during a confrontation at a remote bush camp in Victoria's northeast. Specialist tactical officers located Freeman in dense bushland near Wangaratta after receiving intelligence about his whereabouts. The 44-year-old was shot dead when he allegedly refused to surrender and produced a firearm during the standoff.
The operation involved members of the Special Operations Group and local police who moved on the campsite in the early hours of the morning. Freeman had been the subject of a seven-month manhunt following the fatal shooting of two officers during a routine welfare check at a rural property near Benalla in August 2025. A $1 million reward had been offered for information leading to his capture, and his face had become one of the most recognisable in Australian criminal history.
Freeman's ability to evade one of the largest police operations in Victorian history has raised serious questions about whether he received assistance from associates or sympathisers in the community. Victoria Police had previously acknowledged that Freeman likely had access to shelter, supplies, and vehicles provided by others during his time on the run. The investigation drew comparisons to the 2014 Melbourne siege and the 1988 Walsh Street police killings as one of the most significant attacks on law enforcement in the state's history.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton confirmed Freeman's death and said the focus of the investigation would now shift to identifying anyone who harboured or assisted the fugitive. Premier Jacinta Allan described the outcome as a relief for the families of the slain officers and for communities across the northeast who had lived under heightened security for months. The Police Association of Victoria called for the full weight of the law to be applied to anyone found to have helped Freeman avoid capture.
Homicide Squad detectives and the Professional Standards Command will oversee separate investigations into the circumstances of Freeman's death and the broader support network that sustained him. Anyone found to have provided material assistance faces potential charges of harbouring a fugitive and accessory after the fact to murder, which carry maximum penalties of up to 25 years in prison. The coronial investigation into the deaths of the two officers is expected to resume now that the primary suspect is deceased.