On August 26, 2025, 56-year-old Dezi Freeman opened fire on police in Porepunkah, north-east Victoria, killing Senior Constables Neal Thompson, 29, and Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 27, during a search related to historical sex offences.
An ABC investigation revealed detectives uncovered hundreds of child abuse files on his devices, linked to allegations including a ‘skinny-dipping’ incident he dismissed.
Freeman, a self-identified sovereign citizen with a history of disputes and anti-COVID protests, evaded capture for 216 days until police shot him dead on March 30, 2026, near the Victoria-NSW border; the disclosure has drawn sharp online criticism of his former supporters.
