Two people have been arrested in connection with the investigation into how fugitive Dezi Freeman, who was shot dead on Monday, managed to evade police for seven months. The man and woman were detained at separate properties in north-east Victoria on Saturday morning and later released pending further enquiries.
Victoria Police said detectives from Taskforce Summit made the arrests as part of their ongoing investigation into Freeman’s movements following the fatal shooting of two police officers in Porepunkah in August last year. The pair were described as associates of Freeman, not relatives.
Freeman was shot dead on Monday after officers tracked him to Thologolong. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said Freeman left the building where he was staying with an object resembling a blanket cloaking his shoulders before presenting a gun to police, leading multiple special operations group officers to open fire.
Mr Bush said Freeman had been given every opportunity to resolve the situation peacefully and that video footage showed him presenting a firearm, which removed any discretion officers had to avoid using force. “Everyone wanted this to end peacefully, everyone wanted closure, unfortunately we only have one of those two things,” he said.
The chief commissioner also said police believed Freeman must have received help to survive in the bush for seven months. “We will track backwards from here to work out how long he’s been here, and who helped him to be here,” he said. “If anyone was complicit, they will be held to account.”
