‘Lay down your guns’; top cop’s direct message to accused killer
The chief commissioner has appealed to accused Porepunkah gunman Dezi Freeman to turn himself into police. Funeral dates have been announced for the two slain officers.
Victoria’s top cop Mike Bush has revealed 450 police officers are involved in the hunt for Dezi Freeman and made a direct appeal to the accused double killer: “Lay down your firearms.”
The chief commissioner vowed that the police taskforce would stay on the front lines in the Victorian high country region until Freeman, 56, was caught.
“In fact, if that person is listening, it really is time to lay down your firearms and give yourself up so that we can all bring this to a safe conclusion and this community can get back to what they love to do,” he said, before vowing to keep hunting the suspect.
“We are not leaving here until this person is in custody,” Mr Bush said.
The chief commissioner revealed there were 450 Victoria Police officers involved in the manhunt. “The number one priority for the Victoria Police is to find the person who murdered our officers,” he said.
Flanked by Premier Jacinta Allan and Police Minister Anthony Carbines, Mr Bush said officers from the AFP and interstate forces including NSW, South Australia and the ACT had joined the “professional and coordinated” operation in Victoria’s high country.
“It’s very important that as Chief Commissioner I’m here to support our people. They have every resource they need to locate the person responsible for this horrific homicide,” he said.
Mr Bush warned: “Whoever is considering aiding him in this escape is aiding in a criminal offence.”
On the arrest of Mali Freeman, the suspect’s wife, overnight, Mr Bush said there “may or may not be” charges that follow.
“People were interviewed totally and specifically in relation to the homicide investigation. So those searches have been completed, the interviews have been conducted, those people have been released. There may or may not be charges that follow, but it would be very inappropriate for me to say anything else at this point,” he said.
The top cop also acknowledged the “devastating” loss of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neil Thompson and Detective Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.
Funeral arrangements for the fallen officers will be made in due course.
Police arrested Mali Freeman, the wife of the alleged cop killer on Thursday night after searching a property in Porepunkah.
As the manhunt for the alleged cop killer stretches into a fourth day, police confirmed on Friday morning that officers took two people into custody as they ramp up the investigation into the ambush shooting of two police officers on Tuesday.
Fugitive squad detectives, along with Special Operations Group officers, raided the property at about 8.40pm on Thursday and arrested Mali Freeman, 42, and a 15-year-old boy.
“The Porepunkah pair were interviewed and released pending further inquiries,” police said in a statement.
“The arrests form part of the ongoing investigation into the deaths of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, who were killed in the line of duty.
“A third officer, a 56-year-old male detective leading senior constable, remains in hospital after being shot in the lower body.
Police have confirmed funeral dates for Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson and Senior Constable De Waart. They will be farewelled with full honours at the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley, Melbourne. Senior Constable De Waart’s service will be held at 11am on Friday, September 5, with Leading Senior Constable Thompson’s on Monday, September 8, at 11am.
“Extensive searches remain ongoing for the offender Desmond Filby, also known as Desmond Freeman, whose location remains unknown.”
As the high country manhunt for alleged police killer Freeman continues, new details have emerged about the fatal shooting that claimed the lives of two Victoria Police officers.
Freeman is alleged to have fired a homemade shotgun through the door and window of a bus he had been living in on the outskirts of Porepunkah, striking Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson and Senior Constable De Waart.
It comes as police remain tight-lipped about a late-night operation on Thursday, which is believed to be linked to a family member of Freeman.
The Australian photographed Freeman’s wife, Mali, being escorted by detectives barefoot at about 8.40pm on Chandler Court. She was seen holding a baby and being taken away in a police vehicle.
An officer speaking over a loudspeaker was heard advising people to “come out with nothing in your hands”.
More than a dozen police cars were seen leaving the Feathertop Winery makeshift operations hub before making their way to Chandler Court without any sirens or lights.
Victoria Police issued a “dangerous person” alert at 9.30pm, warning people travelling to Bright, Falls Creek or Mount Hotham to avoid Porepunkah and instead travel via Running Creek and Mount Beauty.
Police sources have told Nine newspapers the 56-year-old father allegedly shot dead Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson through the door of his makeshift bus.
He then allegedly slid open a window of the dwelling and shot Senior Constable De Waart, killing him instantly.
A third detective, badly injured in the attack, is believed to have crawled beneath the bus and remained hidden there for nearly an hour before paramedics were able to reach him.
Ten officers had converged on Freeman’s rural property on Tuesday morning to serve a search warrant linked to child abuse allegations stretching back more than a year.
Dangerous Person - Community Information. Police are in the area surrounding Porepunkah including Wangaratta and Mount Beauty. You should Stay Informed. For more info: https://t.co/B49FjMRf3l@VictoriaPolice
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) August 28, 2025
A statement by Freeman’s estranged family said they were “devastated and sickened” by the allegations against him and they have said he “detached” himself from his relatives “decades ago” in “both name and ideology”.
“The family are actively assisting police with their investigation and are providing details of our knowledge of the area and property,” the family statement said.
“We are devastated, heartbroken and sickened by the loss of two police officers.
“Decades ago, Dezi detached himself from us in both name and ideology.
“We stand with the brave members of the Victoria Police and the families of the murdered officers.”
On Thursday, heavily armed police stormed rural homes, sheds and caravans across Victoria’s alpine region.
Special Operations Group officers, known inside Victoria Police as the “Sons of God”, could be seen fanning out through properties along Mount Buffalo Road, their khaki uniforms and assault rifles at the ready.
The elite tactical team is trained for counter-terrorism, sieges and bush raids, and is regarded as the state’s highest-risk unit.
It was joined by the Critical Incident Response Team, dog squad handlers and uniformed crews who kept their rifles trained on the homesteads and outbuildings as high-tech choppers hovered above the misty high country.
At one property on Mount Buffalo Road, a concerned woman pointed officers towards the rear of her block before tactical police swept through her home and an adjoining shed. Neighbours spoke quietly to police while search dogs scoured the grounds.
Officers with dogs were later seen combing a shed and a pop-top caravan on Eggleston Lane near where Freeman was living. They could be seen holding evidence bags.
The search was backed by one of Victoria’s two $700,000 BearCat armoured vehicles, designed to withstand high-powered gunfire.
Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett said police had deployed “every available asset, every capability that Victoria Police has” into the Porepunkah operation, but would not be drawn on the specifics. He said police were searching “multiple homes” as part of the search.
Authorities, which include ambulance services, have established a command post at the Feathertop Winery as officers brace for wet and freezing conditions in the hills.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast up to 27mm of rain, plunging temperatures and even snow at lower altitudes – weather that could complicate the fugitive’s flight and police operations.
Access to Mount Buffalo Road has been blocked as the operation continues.
“We have every available asset, every capability that Victoria Police has,” Mr Barrett said.
“We have assistance from other policing organisations here on the ground in an effort to quickly apprehend the offender. That’s our purpose and we will not rest until it occurs.”
Mr Barrett issued a warning to people who may be considering helping Freeman evade capture.
“What I would say to the community and say to anyone who may be considering harbouring or supporting (Dezi Freeman), they need to reconsider,” he said.
“They’re committing a criminal offence, and we will prosecute them.”
Mr Barrett began his update on the active police response taking place in Porepunkah by paying tribute to his fallen fellow officers.
“Every member of Victoria Police can put themselves in the shoes of our two fallen colleagues and appreciate the risks they face, but appreciate just how simple a task they were doing,” he said.
“It’s devastating and hard to talk to. (They were) just doing their job.”
Superintendent Brett Kahan advised people heading to the snow this weekend to avoid travelling through Porepunkah.
“If you have an option not to go to the snow this weekend, take that option,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, about six members of the Critical Incident Response Team moved into a property on Mount Buffalo Road with weapons drawn.
For several tense minutes, officers kept their rifles trained on the building before a noise drew their attention to bushland behind the property.
Officers swept the surrounding tracks while a police helicopter hovered above the nearby hills.
Loud bangs, possibly stun grenades, could be heard near the search zone at about 3pm.
Smoke was then seen coming from a farm shed in a clearing close to the Rayner Track property.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed it was members of the sexual offences and child investigation team, as well as local officers, who had attended Freeman’s property on Tuesday to execute the search warrant.
Freeman is an experienced bushman who is heavily armed; locals believe he is a deer hunter and had become increasingly obsessed with fighting the political, legal and police establishments.
Mr Bush warned on Wednesday that winter conditions around Porepunkah would make the hunt for Freeman “tough” for officers.
Senior Constable Paul Hogan told ABC Radio on Thursday morning there had been no confirmed sighting of the alleged gunman since Tuesday.
“To give you an idea of the resources that we’ve deployed to the area, we’ve got Homicide Squad, Armed Crime Squad, Fugitive Squad, Special Operations Group, Critical Incident Response team – they all remain in the Porepunkah area,” he said.
Police have also issued a caution to media outlets covering the manhunt, advising journalists not to approach Freeman’s home.
“We are aware that some outlets have approached the crime scene on Rayner Track, Porepunkah, under the perception it is safe to do so. To be clear, this is not the case. While this highly dangerous individual remains at large, media are required to take extreme caution. On top of this, severe weather conditions have complicated travel in the area,” a police statement read.
“Given these factors, police strongly urge media outlets to consider the safety of their staff as police only have a finite number of resources available and they are strongly concentrated on locating this individual.”
Melbourne landmarks – including Flinders Street Station, the MCG, the Arts Centre and Hamer Hall – were illuminated in blue overnight to pay tribute to the two fallen officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson, 59, a 38-year Victoria Police veteran, and Senior Constable De Waart, 35, who joined the force in 2018. The men have been hailed by colleagues as heroes.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson was described as an adventurous outdoorsman and veteran detective based at nearby Wangaratta in northeast Victoria, having worked as a fraud and state crime detective in Melbourne.
Senior Constable De Waart, whose parents live in Belgium, was described as an optimist, traveller and gin collector who was fluent in four languages.
