Dezi Freeman, the man alleged to have killed two police officers in north-east Victoria last week, is still at large.
Victoria Police Superintendent Brett Kahan told media on Monday he believes “people… are harbouring” Freeman, which is a criminal offence.
Police have been searching for Freeman since he fled a Porepunkah property last Tuesday, leaving two police officers dead and a third injured.
What happened?
Last week, 10 police officers attended Freeman’s Porepunkah property to serve an arrest warrant.
It has been reported the warrant related to historic sex offences.
At the property, two police officers were shot dead: 59-year-old Neal Thompson and 35-year-old Vadim De Waart.
A third officer was injured and taken to hospital.
Freeman left the property and remains at large.
Terrain
Porepunkah is located in Victoria’s north-east Alpine region. It’s a small rural town home to around 1,000 people, close to Mount Buffalo National Park.
Police said the search involves “difficult” terrain, including caves and abandoned dugouts.
Persistent rain and fog has made it tougher to locate Freeman.
More than 450 police officers have searched hundreds of acres of bushland so far.
Assistance
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At least one person has been helping Freeman evade capture, the police announced in their latest press conference.
Superintendent Brett Kahan told reporters “information that we have would suggest people know” where Freeman is, adding that harbouring a fugitive is a “serious crime”.
Last week, Freeman’s wife and his 15-year-old son were arrested and interviewed. No charges were laid.
Police have also arrested a 61-year-old man as part of the investigation.
Freeman
Locals have told news outlets that Freeman has experience spending time in the bush near his home.
Freeman is also believed to be a ‘sovereign citizen’.
Sovereign citizens don’t believe the rules and laws of society apply to them.
They reject the legitimacy of authorities such as the police and government.
Appeal
Kahan said police had received hundreds of tip-offs.
He issued a plea for anyone with information relating to Freeman’s whereabouts to come forward.
Freeman’s wife Amalia issued a statement saying she and her children “do not hold anti-authority views”.
She urged her husband to call the police and arrange a surrender plan.
