SYDNEY: Australian police believe a fugitive gunman accused of killing two officers is receiving assistance from local residents.
The manhunt for heavily armed suspect Dezi Freeman entered its seventh day after he fled into bushland following a shootout with police.
Freeman allegedly opened fire on officers executing a search warrant at his property in Porepunkah, Victoria last week.
The shooting killed detective Neal Thompson, aged fifty nine, and senior constable Vadim De Waart, aged thirty five.
A third officer sustained injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.
Victorian Police superintendent Brett Kahan publicly appealed for information regarding Freeman’s whereabouts.
He confirmed authorities suspect someone is deliberately harbouring the wanted man.
Kahan warned that assisting Freeman constituted an extremely serious criminal offence.
Police have searched hundreds of acres without locating the fugitive despite extensive efforts.
Australian media reports describe Freeman as a radicalised conspiracy theorist linked to sovereign citizen ideology.
Officers previously arrested Freeman’s wife and teenage son as part of their investigation.
Both family members were released after questioning without facing charges.
The suspect’s wife has publicly urged her husband to surrender to police authorities.
The police team executing the warrant included members from the sexual offences and child investigation squad.
Authorities have not disclosed the specific reason for the search warrant.
Police fired shots during the initial confrontation but apparently failed to wound the suspect.
Deadly shootings remain relatively uncommon across Australia due to strict firearm regulations.
Police fatalities are particularly rare within the country’s law enforcement community.
Australia implemented a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
That tragic event saw thirty five people killed by a lone gunman in Tasmania. – AFP
