Two Victoria Police officers were shot dead and a third seriously wounded on Tuesday morning when a team of ten officers tried to execute a search warrant at a rural property in Porepunkah, a town of about 1,000 residents in the state’s alpine region. Police said the warrant related to alleged sexual offences against a child. The fallen officers were identified as Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35. A detective who was hit by gunfire underwent surgery and is expected to survive. The suspected gunman, 56-year-old local Dezi Freeman, is a self-described “sovereign citizen” with a long history of antagonism toward law enforcement and a strong knowledge of the surrounding bushland. Freeman fled on foot carrying several firearms, some believed to have been taken from the officers. His wife and children later presented themselves safely at a police station. Hundreds of officers, including the Special Operations Group and Fugitive Squad, supported by helicopters, drones and armoured vehicles, are combing dense, snow-covered terrain roughly 300 km north-east of Melbourne. Authorities have imposed a no-fly zone, warned residents to stay indoors and kept local schools closed as the search enters its third day. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan offered condolences and pledged full support to the force. Police shootings remain rare in Australia; the last on-duty fatalities occurred in 2023. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said the operation would continue “until we find him,” describing the killings as “cold-blooded murders.”