Victoria Police have detained two men as part of a continuing investigation into the actions of Desmond ‘Dezi’ Freeman, who fatally shot two officers last year. The arrests occurred on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at separate locations in north-east Victoria. The men, aged 48 and 35, were apprehended by detectives from Taskforce Summit, a unit established to scrutinize Freeman's movements following the Porepunkah shootings. Police have stated the investigation is ongoing and declined to provide further details at this time.
The detentions come shortly after a coroner's court heard details of Freeman's final moments. Officers tracked Freeman to a shipping container in Thologolong, where he was ultimately shot and killed in March 2026, after being on the run for seven months. Evidence presented at the inquest suggested Freeman had sworn at one officer and then shot Constable Neal Thompson with a police firearm before emerging and shooting Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart. Freeman himself was 56 years old.
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Freeman had killed Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, along with injuring a third officer, at a property in Porepunkah in August 2025. He then fled into the bush, heavily armed. Reports indicate Freeman had associations with pseudolaw or "sovereign citizen" ideology.
The investigation by Taskforce Summit aims to reconstruct Freeman's movements during the seven months he evaded capture, seeking to determine if he received assistance. The arrested men are described as associates of Freeman, though not family members. They have not been charged.
In unrelated matters, a separate taskforce in South Australia is investigating the disappearance of a four-year-old boy, Gus Lamont, who vanished from a property near Yunta in September 2025.
Read More: Porepunkah Police Killings Inquiry: What Happened to Dezi Freeman?
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