5 h. ago Flurry of loud bangs heard on the outskirts of town where alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman is thought to be hiding

More to follow.

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3 d. ago Porepunkah police shooting: wife of alleged killer Dezi Freeman arrested in late

Victoria police arrested and interviewed a 42-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy, releasing them ‘pending further inquiries’What we know so far about the Victoria police shooting and suspect Dezi FreemanReport: Porepunkah suspect used to spy on my family with drones, says former neighbourGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice overnight arrested the wife of Porepunkah shooting suspect Dezi Freeman, interviewing and releasing the 42-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy “pending further inquiries” as the manhunt in Victoria’s high country continues.On the fourth day of the massive police operation to find Freeman, who on Tuesday morning allegedly shot and killed two police officers and injured a third, police again appealed directly to the fugitive to turn himself in and bring the search to a safe end. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Victoria premier calls on suspected Porepunkah shooter to surrender as search enters third day

Manhunt continues amid harsh alpine conditions and heightened community vigilance

Politics

4 d. ago Porepunkah shooting: Victoria police ‘throwing everything’ at manhunt in ‘severe weather’ for shooting suspect

Police say heavily armed suspect has not been seen as they continue to scour bushland around rural property where two police officers were killedVictoria police shooting live updatesWho is Dezi Freeman? Porepunkah shooting suspect has association with ‘sovereign citizen’ ideas and called police ‘terrorist thugs’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice have urged Porepunkah shooting suspect Dezi Freeman to call triple zero and surrender as their “protracted” manhunt in difficult terrain enters its third evening.Victoria police said on Thursday they had conducted searches on multiple properties near the rural township, warning anyone who harboured the alleged gunman would be prosecuted. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Porepunkah police shooting live updates: Victoria police ‘throwing everything’ at manhunt for suspect as search enters day three – latest news

Police officers allegedly shot dead on Tuesday identified as detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson and senior constable Vadim de Waart. Follow today’s news liveWho is Dezi Freeman? Porepunkah shooting suspect has association with ‘sovereign citizen’ ideas and called police ‘terrorist thugs’Slain police officers named as manhunt for alleged killer continuesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlpine parts of Victoria saw a fresh blanket of snow overnight, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning one of the strongest and widespread cold outbreaks of the winter season will soon move across the state in the coming days.Helen Reid, a meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said snow is expected to be a big part of a cold weather system moving across south-eastern Australia. The system could dump large amounts of snow – up to half a metre – over Alpine mountains near the Victoria-NSW border. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago What is the global ‘sovereign citizen’ movement and why is it so strong in Australia?

Sovereign citizens believe they are separate from the countries they live in and the law does not apply to them

Politics

5 d. ago In idyllic Porepunkah, a manhunt this huge feels ‘surreal’ – and the alleged killer could be anywhere

A peaceful Victoria town has been rocked by the fatal shootings of two police officers, leaving locals shuttered indoors and police scouring bushland for the suspectWho is Dezi Freeman? Porepunkah shooting suspect called police ‘terrorist thugs’ and tried to arrest magistrateHow a police search warrant at a rural Victorian property ended in a day of tragedyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt would have been idyllic were it not for the sound of a police helicopter reverberating over the valley.By late afternoon on Wednesday the rain had slowed to a drizzle in Porepunkah. Mist curled around the foothills of Mt Buffalo. Cows and sheep grazed under a grey sky, unperturbed by the massive manhunt around them. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Victoria shooting update: alleged gunman fled with ‘powerful firearms’ and ‘understands bushcraft well’, police say

Police say suspect Dezi Freeman knows Victorian high country bushland ‘better than us’, as tributes paid to two dead officersVictoria police shooting live updatesWho is Dezi Freeman? Porepunkah shooting suspect called police ‘terrorist thugs’ and tried to arrest magistrateWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn adventure-loving local detective planning his retirement and a senior constable on temporary assignment in Victoria’s alpine region have been identified as the victims of a shooting in Porepunkah.Detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson, 59, and senior constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were on Wednesday named by police as the officers allegedly killed by Dezi Freeman on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Porepunkah shooting live: police victims named; up to one metre of snow forecast for Victoria’s alpine areas as manhunt continues

Victoria police chief commissioner Mike Bush says suspect Dezi Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Follow live updatesPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaThe chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him The hunt will continue until we find him. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Porepunkah shooting live: police release image of suspect; up to one metre of snow forecast for Victoria’s alpine areas as manhunt continues

Victoria police chief commissioner Mike Bush says suspect Dezi Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Follow live updatesPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaThe chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him The hunt will continue until we find him. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Porepunkah shooting live: suspect did not own property where killings took place; police manhunt continues for shooter

Victoria police chief commissioner Mike Bush says suspect Dezi Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Follow live updatesPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaThe chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him The hunt will continue until we find him. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Australian police identify suspect in fatal shooting of officers as manhunt enters second day

Australian police have identified a suspect who shot and killed two police officers and seriously wounded a third as the search for the shooter entered day two in a vast, remote rural area in the country’s southeast

Events

5 d. ago Porepunkah shooting live: Victoria police say suspect on the run has several powerful firearms and ‘understands bushcraft well’

Follow live updatesPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaThe chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him The hunt will continue until we find him. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Porepunkah shooting live: Victoria police say suspect is ‘heavily armed’ and still at large

Follow live updatesPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaThe chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said Freeman, 56, is “heavily armed” and still at large. Bush said a “large team” were “absolutely focused” on finding the suspect:We are pouring every resource into this search for this person, we must find him The hunt will continue until we find him. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Gunman identified as ‘sovereign citizen’ while massive manhunt continues

Prime minister Anthony Albanese says threat of ‘sovereign citizens’ needs to be taken seriously

Events

6 d. ago Porepunkah shooting: police hunt ‘dangerous’ suspect who fled into bush after allegedly killing two officers ‘in cold blood’

Victoria police believe alleged offender is heavily armed and urge local residents to stay indoorsVictoria police shooting live updatesWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaA manhunt is under way after two Victorian police officers were “murdered in cold blood” and another wounded in a shooting at a rural property in the high country town of Porepunkah.The Victorian police commissioner, Mike Bush, said the suspect – believed to be “heavily armed” – was still at large. Bush urged the wider community to stay indoors and said a “full deployment” was under way on Tuesday evening to find the suspect, who he described as “obviously a very dangerous person”. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘Dangerous’ suspect who allegedly killed two officers escaped into bush alone and is believed to be ‘heavily armed’ – as it happened

This blog has now closedPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaWangaratta police have confirmed there is still an “active incident” ongoing and are continuing to urge people to avoid the area.In a statement published to its social media page a moment ago, the local police service said Victoria police “continues to respond to an incident at a property in Porepunkah”.This is still an active incident and we will provide more information when it’s operationally safe to do so.We ask people avoid the area.Tonight’s Ordinary Council Meeting has also been postponed, and will be rescheduled for two weeks’ time. Further details will be provided at a later date.We thank you for your patience and understanding. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Manhunt for gunman ‘on run with family’ after two officers shot dead

Prime minister Anthony Albanese praises officers for their bravery

Events

6 d. ago Victoria police shooting live updates: suspect who allegedly killed two officers in ‘horrific’ attack at large and believed to be armed

Follow live updatesPorepunkah shooting: two Victoria police officers dead, one injured in attack at rural propertyWhat we know so far about the shooting in rural AustraliaWangaratta police have confirmed there is still an “active incident” ongoing and are continuing to urge people to avoid the area.In a statement published to its social media page a moment ago, the local police service said Victoria police “continues to respond to an incident at a property in Porepunkah”.This is still an active incident and we will provide more information when it’s operationally safe to do so.We ask people avoid the area.Tonight’s Ordinary Council Meeting has also been postponed, and will be rescheduled for two weeks’ time. Further details will be provided at a later date.We thank you for your patience and understanding. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Two officers dead and search underway for gunman ‘accompanied by a child’

Prime minister Anthony Albanese praises officers for their bravery

Events