Father Tony Shallue, the priest at Our Lady of the Snows in Bright, said a longtime parishioner appeared unusually agitated days before he allegedly shot dead two police officers in the Victorian town of Porepunkah on Aug. 26.
The priest told reporters he last saw Dezi Freeman at Mass two days before the shootings and noticed a change in his demeanour, saying Freeman was "jagged in his movements and walking quite quickly" when he had usually lingered to chat with other parishioners. Freeman, 56, a father of four who the priest said attended church with his wife Mali and their children every Sunday, has been on the run since the shootings.
According to Victoria Police, Freeman allegedly shot and killed Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35, in Porepunkah at about 11 a.m. on Aug. 26. He did not surrender to officers and became the subject of one of the largest manhunts in the state's history.
Inspector Dean Thomas of the Homicide Squad announced a A$1 million reward for information that led to Freeman's arrest, describing the sum as a state record. Police have committed roughly 450 heavily armed and specialist personnel to scouring bushland near Porepunkah, where Freeman was last seen, the priest and police said.
Shallue, who has led the small parish for several years, described Freeman and his family as active members who often helped the church; he said Freeman once repaired the Our Lady statue after it was vandalised. The priest said he had first detected a shift in Freeman's outlook earlier in the year when Pope Francis died on April 21, recounting that Freeman had expressed apocalyptic concerns by suggesting the next pope "could be the Antichrist." "It's dangerous thinking," Shallue said he told Freeman at the time.
In his first Sunday sermon since the killings, the priest paid tribute to the slain officers and defended his decision to temporarily close the church last week for safety and to shield his congregation from media attention. He said the homily was intended to underscore that "no one was above the law" and criticised the idea of appointing oneself "judge, a juror, an executioner."
Shallue urged Freeman to surrender, appealing to his role as a father and to the local community's need for closure. "Please give yourself up," he said, noting that the run had imprisoned Freeman as well as the community. He added he would visit Freeman in prison rather than preside over a funeral in the church.
Police have released few operational details about the investigation while the search continues. Authorities have characterised Freeman as a bushcraft survivalist and have warned the public not to approach him.
The shootings and subsequent manhunt have deeply affected the small communities of Bright and Porepunkah, both popular regional centres in Victoria. Local leaders and the parish have sought to balance public safety with pastoral support for parishioners and the families of the slain officers.
As the search entered its second week, police maintained a visible presence in the area while Sáved investigative work continued. The A$1 million reward remains in place as investigators seek tips that could end the manhunt and lead to Freeman's capture.