A newly reviewed video of a police raid in Victoria shows Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson ordering a younger colleague out of the line of fire seconds before Thompson was fatally shot, police and media reports said.
The footage, reviewed by the Daily Mail and taken from mobile phones and police body cameras, captures a 27-minute standoff on August 26 at a Porepunkah property about 300 kilometres northeast of Melbourne. The operation involved 10 officers executing a search warrant linked to historic allegations that 56-year-old Dezi Freeman had sexually assaulted a minor.
Video shows officers, some in plain clothes and others in uniform, attempting to reason with Freeman, who had barricaded himself inside a ramshackle bus on the compound with his wife and a two-year-old child. At one point officers are heard saying, "We have got a search warrant right here," as they try to convince Freeman to open the door.
The footage depicts several officers taking turns trying to force open a window and the bus door with a crowbar. Detective Senior Constable Thompson and Detective Senior Constable Timothy Doyle were among those attempting to gain access. Before making a final entry through a window, Thompson told Doyle to step back; when Doyle first obeyed, Thompson urged him to move further away. Seconds later Thompson climbed feet first through the window and was shot, the footage shows. Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart was also shot and killed during the exchange, police said.
After the shooting, Freeman reportedly took Thompson’s firearm and fled into nearby bushland. He remained at large as the search entered its third week, with about 450 police officers and members of the Australian Defence Force taking part in the manhunt, Victoria Police said. A major police operation in Porepunkah the following Tuesday did not result in Freeman’s arrest. On Saturday Victoria Police announced a A$1 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Thompson died in the line of duty. Hundreds of mourners, including serving police officers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, attended Thompson’s funeral in Benalla on Monday. Detective Senior Constable Doyle spoke at the service, describing Thompson’s final act and saying, "Thommo, you went through the door first, and I owe you my life for that." Thompson’s partner, Lisa, told the service he had taught her to live with courage. "I am so grateful you did, because I am scared," she said.
Victoria Police confirmed Thompson has been posthumously awarded the Victoria Police Star in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice.
Police said Freeman remained a high priority, and investigators continued searches of the rural area and appeals to the public for information. The search and the deaths of two officers have prompted a sustained response from state and federal agencies, and authorities have asked anyone with information about Freeman’s movements to come forward.
The warrant that led to the siege was issued in relation to historic allegations of sexual assault of a minor. Victoria Police have not released further operational details while the manhunt continues and investigators work to establish the full circumstances of the confrontation and the movements of Freeman after he left the scene.