Two men have been arrested as police investigate the movements of Dezi Freeman, the man who killed two police officers in Porepunkah in August 2025. Victoria and NSW police searched seven properties on Tuesday as part of Operation Summit, examining where Freeman travelled after the shootings.
Police believe Freeman travelled between Victoria and New South Wales in the seven months between the killings and his death on 30 March 2026, when he was shot by police on a remote property in Thologolong. It is thought he received assistance from multiple people during that time.
Warrants were executed at rural properties in Buckland, Stanley, and Lucyvale in Victoria, as well as at homes in Greenwich Park, Tarlo, Wombeyan Caves, and Umina Beach in NSW. A 64-year-old man from Lucyvale was arrested in Wodonga and released pending further investigation, while a 47-year-old man from Wombeyan Caves was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants.
Police seized a range of electronic devices and said searches of the properties continued. Detective Inspector Anthony Gasparini from Taskforce Summit said the investigation does not stop because Freeman was located, and police are keen to identify those who harboured him.
Freeman shot and killed Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, and injured a third officer while serving a search warrant at a property in Porepunkah. He had a history of association with pseudolaw or 'sovereign citizen' ideology and fled into the bush heavily armed.
