A friend of the man sought over an ambush that killed two police officers in Victoria says the suspect warned him he would "drive away" and did not care if he was shot less than 24 hours before the shooting.
Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35, and Detective Neal Thompson, 59, were killed and a third officer seriously injured when officers attempted to serve a warrant at a property in Porepunkah in Victoria’s High Country on August 26, police say. The accused, identified by authorities as Dezi Freeman, has been the subject of an intensifying manhunt.
Bruce Evans, 60, a former Australian Army soldier who has described Freeman as one of his best friends, told the Daily Mail that he and the accused exchanged messages the day before the shootings and that Freeman at one point "cracked the ss and said he was going to drive away anyway" and that he "didn't give a f if he got shot or whatever."
Evans said police had asked him to assist investigators and asked him to use his personal phone to call Freeman; the call went straight to voicemail. "I knew he wouldn't answer because the first thing he would've done was ditch his phone because you can be tracked on that," Evans said. He added he feared Freeman may take his own life and said he hoped authorities could negotiate a surrender that would allow Freeman to explain his views publicly, an idea Evans acknowledged was unlikely.
Victoria Police have deployed a large operation to locate the accused, with officers saying the manhunt entered its third week. Authorities have said more than 100 properties in towns surrounding Porepunkah have been searched, and they have appealed for public tips. Police have offered a A$1 million reward for information leading to an arrest and recovery and have said hundreds of pieces of information have been received. The operation includes specialised police units and has involved assistance from the Australian Defence Force, authorities said.
Evans told the Daily Mail he had been questioned by detectives and that other people connected to Freeman had also been contacted. "They are expanding their net out a bit now," he said. "A few people have been called in for questioning and I've been getting texts from them afterwards and they're asking them all the same questions."
Evans said Freeman had become agitated in recent years because of fears authorities would remove his children, who were being home-schooled, and because Freeman opposed vaccinations. "I think that like escalated things for him, he got pretty agitated about that," Evans said. He also said Freeman was not a "sovereign citizen" in recent years, although he may have described himself that way earlier.
The accused has a history that Evans said he and Freeman sometimes disagreed about. Evans said he thought Freeman's previous attempt to arrest a magistrate in 2021 was "a waste of time and energy." Evans said he had since received online abuse and threats, and that one private message threatened sexual violence towards Freeman's wife.
Victoria Police have not publicly detailed all investigative moves while they search for the accused. The force has appealed to anyone with information about Freeman’s whereabouts to contact police. A funeral service was held for Detective Neal Thompson at the Victoria Police Academy in Melbourne.
The killings have prompted national attention and renewed scrutiny of encounters between police and armed individuals in regional areas. Authorities have urged anyone harbouring information to come forward and for members of the public to avoid actions that could endanger themselves or hamper the ongoing investigation.
As the search continues, Evans said he had not spoken with Freeman since the shooting and doubted the accused would answer calls. "I hope he contacts me or someone else and says I'm ready to do a Zoom call with the media," Evans said, adding that Freeman would likely avoid contact because he would suspect his communications were monitored. Police have urged caution in public discussions about the case as investigations and searches continue.