Death knock: From mountain murders to a massive manhunt

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It had just gone 10.30am on Tuesday when police officers pulled up to a vast property on the outskirts of the small township of Porepunkah, at the foot of Mount Buffalo, to execute a search warrant.

Wintry weather had settled back over Victoria, and weekend holidaymakers who flock to the alpine region for skiing and bushwalking had returned home.

Minutes after the operation began, two officers were murdered, and a police manhunt began that remains under way.

The fatal search warrant

With 10 officers enlisted, this wasn’t being treated like an ordinary search warrant.

According to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, a robust risk assessment had taken place and the officers were armed.

The team was made up of local officers and members of the sexual offences and child abuse team.

One of the killed officers was selected for the job because they’d had previous dealings with their target: sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman.

Police travelled down the single-lane, bitumen Rayner Track, surrounded by towering trees, that leads to the entrance to the 50-hectare property.

The road ends where the long dirt driveway begins. A sign warns: “No through road. Private property. No public access.” Much of the property is covered by the dense bushland of Mount Buffalo, wrapping around a cleared area with a main residential building, several shacks and vehicles.

The sign of the edge of the property where Dezi Freeman lived.

The steeply sloping property features a large, high-gabled house with a red roof. Satellite pictures show a compound with various outbuildings and vehicles scattered around a cleared area.

Freeman, a 56-year-old known for his anti-government views and hatred of police, had been living in a bus with his family on the “off-grid” property, along with several others.

The property in Porepunkah where Freeman allegedly killed two police officers before fleeing.

Local detective Neal Thompson, 59, was the first to knock, according to police sources.

Freeman then allegedly launched his ambush, shooting dead Thompson and 35-year-old Senior Constable Vadim de Waart, who was on secondment from Melbourne.

A third officer, Peter Evans, was shot in the upper leg.

A neighbour reported hearing a volley of up to 20 gunshots.

According to the chief commissioner, Freeman fled on foot shortly after, into the bush.

He was pursued and shot at, Bush said, but managed to get away unwounded.

The seven uninjured officers would remain at the site for hours.

They worked to contain the property and were forced to carry the bodies of their slain colleagues from the active search scene.

The emergency response

The seven officers had to hunker down, Bush said. “We didn’t know exactly where our suspect was. We had to keep them safe, get specialist [resources] into the area to extract them in a safe way.”

About 11am, scores of police converged on the property.

Some used the Rayner Track entrance while others came from across a neighbour’s land, to the east, in a “pincer move” tactic.

Heavily armed members of the Special Operations Group arrived by helicopter from Melbourne before midday.

A helicopter searches through cloud in Porepunkah.

Evans was flown by air ambulance to The Alfred hospital, where he underwent surgery and remains in a stable condition.

Bush said no firearms were recovered from the property, leading police to believe Freeman had fled with them.

Police sources not authorised to speak publicly said Freeman was now thought to be armed with a homemade shotgun, a rifle and at least one handgun stolen from a slain officer.

The mammoth manhunt

The murders triggered the start of a major police operation on Tuesday. The town of Porepunkah, which has about 1000 residents and is located seven kilometres north-west of Bright, was plunged into lockdown and roads were blocked.

Ninety students at the primary school were forced to stay indoors while the Alpine Shire Council closed its facilities and cancelled that night’s meeting.

A Leonardo AW139 helicopter equipped with an infrared camera, which can detect thermal energy in darkness, was deployed.

Hundreds of officers were swung onto the operation, including more than 100 focused on the search itself.

Late on Tuesday night, Freeman’s wife and children visited a police station. Police said there was nothing to suggest the family was in Freeman’s company following the fatal shootings.

“We understood where they were. We invited his partner to a police station where we’ve spoken to her. We also met with the children, just so we can sight them and make sure they’re safe,” Bush said.

On Wednesday morning, there had still been no confirmed sightings of Freeman. Some police were stationed at the scene of the shootout while others searched Mount Buffalo National Park.

Bush said Freeman had intimate knowledge of the area’s thick wilderness and was well versed in “bushcraft” – or outdoor survival skills – a factor that would give him an edge over law enforcement.

“We have experts – the best in the country – there, doing everything we can to find that suspect,” Bush said.

It’s estimated that an experienced bushman could travel 10-15 kilometres a day through the dense terrain.

Just before 8am, a man parked a red Hyundai Getz across the Rayner Track driveway.

He told reporters he lived at the property with several others. “I am here to protect the owners. I live here. You have to know you are trespassing.”

A resident of the property guards the driveway on Wednesday morning.

About 10am, Porepunkah residents received texts warning them to stay home.

“There is an active, armed offender in the general area of Porepunkah,” the message read. “Victoria Police request you stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel.”

The police text message sent to Porepunkah residents.

Feathertop Winery, on the edge of town, was set up as a base for police, with trucks, helicopters, armoured vehicles and ambulances moving in and out of the area.

Part of the police compound at Feathertop Winery.

A no-fly zone was established over Porepunkah, preventing aircraft and drones from being flown where police were operating.

The search was affected by bucketing rain. Cloud intensified over Wednesday afternoon, so that Mount Buffalo could no longer be seen.

Special operations police seen at the 50-hectare property on Wednesday.

Over the constant hum of a helicopter, rounds of loud bangs were heard coming from the Rayner Track property on Wednesday where police were operating. It was unclear what caused the sounds.

A subsequent police update at 2pm again stated there had been no confirmed sightings of Freeman.

While Victoria Police mourns the loss of two of its own, the manhunt continues.

– with Grant McArthur, Melissa Cunningham, Cameron Houston and Carla Jaeger

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