Australian fugitive shot dead by police after seven-month manhunt

Australian police said Monday they shot a fugitive wanted for killing two officers, ending a seven-month manhunt for one of the country's most-wanted criminals.

Desmond Freeman fled into dense bushland in August last year after shooting and killing two police officers who came to search his rural home in Victoria state.

Hundreds of police have pursued Freeman through the region's rugged terrain over the past seven months, pouring resources into one of Australia's largest manhunts.

Police tracked Freeman to a caravan parked on a "very remote" property in rural Victoria, police commissioner Mike Bush said, shooting him after he refused pleas to surrender. 

"Everything I know at this point tells me that this shooting was justified," Bush told reporters.

"There was a standoff. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not." 

The state coroner would now confirm the identity of the body and cause of death, he added.

Two local residents told AFP Freeman had been shot at a property in Thologolong, near the border of New South Wales and Victoria states.

The property's owner had been away for several weeks, they said.

"The place is off the grid entirely. I honestly don't think it's a place you just stumble across. You have to know where it is," said Thologolong resident Jasmine Teese. 

"There's no house there. The man who resides there lives in a collection of caravans, containers and old cars," she added.

Another local resident, cattle farmer Mike Gadd, told AFP it was "hard to believe" Freeman had remained undetected for so long.

Police said they had yet to speak to the owner.

Local media described Freeman as a conspiracy theorist and member of the so-called "sovereign citizen" movement, which falsely believes it is not subject to the law.  

While fighting a speeding penalty in a Melbourne court, Freeman referred to police as "frigging Nazis", "Gestapo" and "terrorist thugs", according to court documents. 

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The 56-year-old -- known as "Dezi" -- escaped into a national park littered with disused mineshafts.

Helicopters, dog squads and reinforcements from New Zealand were dispatched to help track Freeman, who reportedly possessed strong bushcraft and outdoor survival skills. 

Police considered Freeman armed and dangerous. 

At one point involving around 450 police officers, the manhunt was one of the "most significantly resourced police operations" in Australian history, Bush said.

- 'Courage and bravery' -

Police believed Freeman may have evaded capture with the help of locals sympathetic to his anti-authority views. 

"It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was without assistance," Bush said. 

They offered a AU$1 million ($685,000) reward -- the largest possible -- for information that helped bring him into custody.  

Freeman opened fire on police as they raided his home in the small village of Porepunkah in August. 

He killed 59-year-old detective Neal Thompson and 35-year-old senior constable Vadim De Waart.

A third officer was wounded in the lower body. 

"Today, we won't reflect on the loss of a coward," said the Police Association of Victoria.  

"We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer that has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community." 

While the reason for the search warrant has not been released, police said at the time the team included members of the sexual offences and child investigation squad.

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