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After a seven-month search, a gunman who had been evading authorities was shot by police today on a property in Victoria’s north-east. The incident occurred just before 8:30 a.m., as confirmed by Victoria Police.
Fortunately, no officers were hurt during the confrontation. The police released a statement saying, “The State Coroner will attend the scene, and the investigation will be overseen by the Professional Standards Command, as is standard procedure following a police shooting.”
The individual, known as Freeman, is suspected of having taken refuge in a shipping container located in Walwa. This area lies to the north-east of Porepunkah and is near the border with New South Wales.
“The State Coroner will attend the scene and the investigation will be oversighted by Professional Standards Command, as per standard process for a police shooting,” police said in a statement.
Freeman is believed to have been hiding out in a shipping container in Walwa, north-east of Porepunkah and on the border with NSW.
He had been on the run after fatally shooting Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, on a rural Porepunkah property on August 26 last year.
The Police Association Victoria said today’s news represents a “step forward” in overcoming the tragedy in Porepunkah.
“Our members said they would find him. They did,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“Closure isn’t the right word. This represents a step forward for our members, for the families of our fallen members and for the community.
“It doesn’t lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public.
“Today, we won’t reflect on the loss of a coward. We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer that has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community.”
Freeman was a 56-year-old self-declared sovereign citizen and a vocal critic of police.
Police officers from the sexual offences and child investigation team were executing a search warrant at his Rayner Track property when they were ambushed on August 26.
He was accused of killing two police officers – Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35.
A third officer was also seriously injured.
Freeman fled the property and had not been seen since.
The shooting triggered several state-wide manhunts in dense bushland, including multiple searches in Mt Buffalo National Park.
What is the ‘sovereign citizen’ movement?
The sovereign citizen movement has once again been thrust into the mainstream spotlight following the seven-month escape of Freeman.
The Australian Federal Police describe a sovereign citizen as someone who seeks to “disassociate from society and refuses to engage with societal requirements like paying tax”.
The overall movement is an uncentralised belief system but is generally characterised by an anti-authority idea that they are not under the jurisdiction of the government and the law does not apply to them.
It’s why, for many years, it was typically associated with videos of someone getting pulled over for a traffic stop and refusing to provide their details to police, claiming law enforcement has no authority over them – only to be arrested shortly after.
Freeman himself had a run-in with police when he was pulled over for driving at 76km/h in a 60 zone.
“I don’t give a s—. Leave me alone, you terrorist. Get the hell away from me and go,” he said when asked to produce his licence, according to court documents.
He also attempted to arrest a magistrate and several police officers while appearing in Wangaratta Magistrates Court, telling them “you must stand down. You’re now in my custody and under arrest. You are not free to leave”.
As Freeman’s alleged attack shows, though, sovereign citizen beliefs can be far more dangerous than they might seem from videos of their court antics and nonsense arguments while refusing to deal with roadside police officers.
Extremists have carried out violent crimes both in Australia and overseas, and the movement has received a significant influx of followers following the COVID-19 pandemic as people retaliated against lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccination requirements.
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