WEBVTT - Dezi Freeman’s dead: everything we know

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<v Speaker 1>Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey with

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<v Speaker 1>the Front's afternoon headlines. A cop killer shot dead while

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<v Speaker 1>brandishing a dead officer's gun. Today, Victoria police have finally

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<v Speaker 1>got their man, in a dramatic end to self proclaimed

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<v Speaker 1>sovereign citizen Desi Freeman's violent life. Earlier this year, Victoria

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<v Speaker 1>police were indicating they believed Desi Freeman, who went on

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<v Speaker 1>the run in August twenty twenty five after shooting dead

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<v Speaker 1>two officers, could be dead. In fact, he was very

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<v Speaker 1>much alive, hiding out in some of Australia's most rugged country.

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<v Speaker 1>Freeman was a survivalist who believed normal laws didn't apply

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<v Speaker 1>to him, and when Detective Leading Senior Constable Neil Thompson

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<v Speaker 1>and Senior Constable Vadim dwar Hottat showed up to execute

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<v Speaker 1>a sir to warrant related to alleged historical sex offenses,

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<v Speaker 1>he allegedly shot them dead. A third officer was seriously wounded.

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<v Speaker 1>That was in August twenty twenty five at Freeman's makeshift

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<v Speaker 1>home a bus on his property near the town of

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<v Speaker 1>Poor Punker. The search for Freeman was the biggest tactical

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<v Speaker 1>operation ever undertaken in Australia, including searches of caves, mines,

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<v Speaker 1>huts and waterways using dogs, drones and search and rescue specialists.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a one million dollar reward for information that

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<v Speaker 1>led to Freeman's arrest or the location of his body.

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<v Speaker 1>In the end, Freeman had made his way almost to

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<v Speaker 1>the New South Wales border to the tiny Murray River

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<v Speaker 1>town of Wohlwa. State Operations Group tactical officers spent the

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<v Speaker 1>night staking out a property reportedly owned by a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of Filipino origin, and reportedly threw flashband grenades into the

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<v Speaker 1>place where Freeman was hiding a structure the police have

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<v Speaker 1>described as between a caravan and a shipping container, before

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<v Speaker 1>engaging him in a firefight that was about eight thirty

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<v Speaker 1>am on Monday. There are reports Freeman was shot dead

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<v Speaker 1>while holding a police issue weapon belonging to one of

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<v Speaker 1>the officers he'd murdered, Neil Thompson. Commissioner Mike Bush said

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<v Speaker 1>the body had to be formally identified in the hours

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<v Speaker 1>immediately after the shooting before he could publicly confirm that

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<v Speaker 1>it was in fact Freeman, but Bush also said the

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<v Speaker 1>families of the two deceased. Police officers had been informed

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<v Speaker 1>of the shooting. Victoria's police union said its members said

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<v Speaker 1>they would find Freeman, and they did. The coroner and

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<v Speaker 1>the police's Professional Standards Unit will now examine the circumstances

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<v Speaker 1>that led to Monday mornings shooting. Something else they'll be

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<v Speaker 1>investigating is whether anyone assisted Freeman. That would be a

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<v Speaker 1>criminal offense, although police say no one else has been charged.

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<v Speaker 1>In our show notes, you can see links to all

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<v Speaker 1>our live coverage of this rolling story at the Australian

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<v Speaker 1>dot com dot plus. Come back to the front first

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<v Speaker 1>thing in the morning for our close look at the

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<v Speaker 1>other huge news of the day, The federal government's finally

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<v Speaker 1>taking action to bring down fuel prices and ensure supply.

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<v Speaker 1>But was it all too slow? Jeff Chambers, our political editor,

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<v Speaker 1>will be here. That's right here, Tuesday morning.