Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
A 56-year-old man suspected of sexual offenses ambushed officers in Victoria, killing two, injuring one, and fleeing into a forest. Police describe him as a 'sovereign citizen' opposed to state authority.
A large-scale manhunt is underway in Australia today (Tuesday) for an armed man who shot dead two police officers and seriously wounded another.
The suspect ambushed officers who arrived to arrest him and then fled into a nearby forest.
The shooting occurred in the small town of Porpunkah, located in the state of Victoria.
A group of ten police officers had gone to the suspect’s house in the town to arrest him on suspicion of sexual offenses.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, the armed man opened fire on the officers, striking three of them before fleeing into the forest on foot.
Local police commander Mike Bush said the shooter had “cold-bloodedly murdered” the officers, aged 59 and 35.
According to some reports, the suspect escaped with the weapons of the three officers he shot.
Initial reports suggested the gunman had taken his wife and two children with him, but police later clarified that he fled alone and that efforts are underway to locate his family.
Police in Victoria urged residents of Porpunkah, a town of about 1,000 people at the foot of the Australian Alps, 300 kilometers northeast of Melbourne, to remain indoors.
Officers are conducting searches with helicopter support.
Authorities said the fugitive identifies as a “sovereign citizen,” a term used for individuals who reject the authority of the Australian government and consider its laws illegitimate.
Police noted that the phenomenon has existed in Australia for decades and usually does not pose a public threat, but has escalated in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Australian media reported that the suspect is a 56-year-old man who has had repeated confrontations with police.
He changed his name from Desmond Philby to Dezzi Bird Freeman, which he believed better reflected his worldview.
The Associated Press noted that the last time an on-duty police officer was fatally shot in Australia was in 2023, in an incident in South Australia.
A year earlier, two officers were killed in Queensland by extremists who embraced conspiracy theories and harbored hatred toward the police.
The shooters were killed at the end of a manhunt.
The suspect ambushed officers who arrived to arrest him and then fled into a nearby forest.
The shooting occurred in the small town of Porpunkah, located in the state of Victoria.
A group of ten police officers had gone to the suspect’s house in the town to arrest him on suspicion of sexual offenses.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, the armed man opened fire on the officers, striking three of them before fleeing into the forest on foot.
Local police commander Mike Bush said the shooter had “cold-bloodedly murdered” the officers, aged 59 and 35.
According to some reports, the suspect escaped with the weapons of the three officers he shot.
Initial reports suggested the gunman had taken his wife and two children with him, but police later clarified that he fled alone and that efforts are underway to locate his family.
Police in Victoria urged residents of Porpunkah, a town of about 1,000 people at the foot of the Australian Alps, 300 kilometers northeast of Melbourne, to remain indoors.
Officers are conducting searches with helicopter support.
Authorities said the fugitive identifies as a “sovereign citizen,” a term used for individuals who reject the authority of the Australian government and consider its laws illegitimate.
Police noted that the phenomenon has existed in Australia for decades and usually does not pose a public threat, but has escalated in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Australian media reported that the suspect is a 56-year-old man who has had repeated confrontations with police.
He changed his name from Desmond Philby to Dezzi Bird Freeman, which he believed better reflected his worldview.
The Associated Press noted that the last time an on-duty police officer was fatally shot in Australia was in 2023, in an incident in South Australia.
A year earlier, two officers were killed in Queensland by extremists who embraced conspiracy theories and harbored hatred toward the police.
The shooters were killed at the end of a manhunt.
