The suspect in the fatal shooting of two police officers in the Australian Alps has been named as Dezi Freeman.
On Wednesday morning, Victoria Police said the 56-year-old is heavily armed and “still at large”, almost 24 hours after officers tried to execute a warrant for alleged sexual offences at his rural property and were fired upon.
“We are pouring every resource into the search for this person”, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Mike Bush said.
He said this is “not a hostage situation” – addressing previous reports by local media – and added that Mr Freeman’s partner and children are safe.
The identities of the officers killed have not yet been released. Police said this would likely happen later on Tuesday once all relatives had been informed.
A third officer was injured is out of surgery, with Bush saying he was “significantly damaged but will recover”.
Seven other police who attended the property “bunkered down” after the shooting and were uninjured.
“Be vigilant, keep yourselves safe,” Chief Commissioner Bush warned the local community, asking residents of Porepunkah – a small town about 300km (186 miles) north-east of Melbourne – to stay inside.
Ten officers from the Sexual Offences and Child Investigations team went to the property on Wednesday, and were immediately shot at, police have said, before the suspect ran into the bush.
Authorities have had no sightings of Mr Freeman since, Bush said, adding that the police focus is on “dense bush area” near his home.
“He will know that area better than us so that is why we are putting in every expert, supported by local knowledge,” Bush said.
“Our understanding is that he understands bushcraft well which provides a challenge to us.”
