Police widen probe into fugitive support network
Police have intensified their investigation into the movements of Dezi Freeman, executing a series of search warrants across Victoria and New South Wales as detectives examine whether anyone helped the wanted man remain at large after the fatal shooting of two Victorian police officers.
The latest raids, carried out on Tuesday morning, targeted seven properties in two states. Victoria Police said three rural properties were searched in Buckland and Stanley, near Porepunkah, and Lucyvale, near Walwa. At the same time, NSW Police assisted with warrants at four locations in Greenwich Park, Tarlo, Wombeyan Caves and Umina Beach.
Investigators said the operation forms part of Taskforce Summit, the inquiry established after Freeman fled following the August 2025 shooting at a rural property near Porepunkah. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were killed in the confrontation, while a third officer was seriously injured.
Two men arrested during coordinated searches
A 64-year-old man from Lucyvale was arrested in Wodonga following the raids and was expected to be interviewed by police. A 47-year-old man from Wombeyan Caves was also arrested in Greenwich Park on unrelated outstanding warrants. Police said officers were continuing to search the properties and had seized a number of electronic devices.
The arrests do not mean any person has been found guilty of wrongdoing. The focus of the investigation is broader than the original shooting, with detectives attempting to reconstruct Freeman’s movements over the seven months between the Porepunkah incident and his death.
Freeman, 56, evaded capture for months despite extensive searches through difficult rural terrain. He was fatally shot by police on March 30 after officers located him at a rural property in Thologolong. Police have said negotiations were attempted before the confrontation ended in gunfire.
Detectives seek answers for police families and community
Taskforce Summit Detective Inspector Anthony Gasparini said from the outset investigators believed Freeman would likely have needed support to leave the area and survive while wanted by police. He said detectives were working to identify any person who may have harboured or assisted him, and to determine whether serious offences were committed.
Police are appealing for information from anyone who may know about Freeman’s movements, particularly in the areas searched this week. Detective Inspector Gasparini said information could be provided confidentially through Crime Stoppers.
The case remains one of Victoria’s most serious recent police deaths. Beyond the criminal investigation, authorities are also preparing for coronial scrutiny of the shooting, the long search that followed and the final operation in which Freeman was killed. Police have said the investigation continues even though Freeman is dead, because officers still need to establish who, if anyone, helped him evade capture.
For the families of the two officers killed, the injured officer, their colleagues and the Porepunkah community, the raids are another step in a long-running effort to account for what happened after the initial attack. The searches also underline the practical difficulties police face when a fugitive is believed to have moved through remote communities, where shelter, transport, supplies and communications may leave only limited traces.
Public urged to assist inquiry
Authorities have not released the full list of material seized during the warrants, but electronic devices are expected to be examined for communications, location information and possible links to Freeman’s movements. Investigators are likely to focus on whether any contact was made with the fugitive, whether assistance was organised, and whether anyone knew his whereabouts before police found him in Thologolong.
Police have urged anyone with relevant information to come forward, stressing that even small details may help establish a clearer timeline. The inquiry remains active across both Victoria and New South Wales, and further action has not been ruled out.
