Australia shooting: 56-year-old 'sovereign citizen' identified as suspect; remains at large

A 56-year-old Australian man has been identified as the suspect in a deadly shooting that left two police officers dead and a third seriously wounded, as a large-scale manhunt entered its second day on Wednesday in Victoria’s remote northeast. Victoria Police chief commissioner Mike Bush said the suspect, Dezi Freeman, was “heavily armed” and skilled in wilderness survival. Authorities have urged residents in the area to remain indoors.“Be vigilant, keep yourselves safe. Please don’t go outside if you don’t need to,” Bush told locals.A 'sovereign citizen'Australian media reported that Freeman espouses so-called ‘sovereign citizen’ beliefs. A 2021 video showed him attempting to “arrest” a magistrate and police officers while representing himself in court. Sovereign citizen movements reject government authority using debunked legal arguments. In a 2024 Supreme Court case, where Freeman unsuccessfully challenged the suspension of his driver’s license, a judge noted his “history of unpleasant encounters with police,” whom he referred to as “Nazis” and “terrorist thugs.” Bush cautioned, however, that it was “too soon to say” if Freeman's ideology motivated the attack. He added that the targeted officers were part of a specialist unit investigating sexual offenses and child abuse.The incident The shooting unfolded on Tuesday, when 10 armed officers attempted to execute a search warrant at Freeman’s property in Porepunkah, a town of just over 1,000 people, near Melbourne. Freeman allegedly opened fire, killing a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable. A second detective was shot and his injuries are non-life threatening.