Fugitive accused of killing police officers 'shot dead'

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A fugitive accused of killing two police officers is believed to have been shot dead, Australian police have said.

Dezi Freeman, 56, was on the run for seven months after allegedly killing two officers in a remote town in Victoria state.

On Monday, police said they believed he was engaged in a three-hour standoff inside a rural property northeast of Victoria.

"While the man is yet to be formally identified, police believe it is likely to be 56-year-old Porepunkah man Desmond Freeman," Victoria Police said in a statement.

Freeman, previously known as Desmond Filby, was shot dead at around 8.30am, local media widely reported.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush declined to formally confirm the identity of the person shot dead by police pending official identification, but said the shooting was justified.

"Everything I know at this point tells me that this shooting was justified," Chief Commissioner Bush said during a media briefing, ⁠adding that no police officers were injured ⁠during the incident.

"There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not... we're working ‌through the sequence of that.

"We strongly believe, yet to be confirmed, that he was armed."

More than 450 police officers had been involved in ‌the hunt for Freeman since August, when he allegedly opened fire on a team of 10 police officers.

The officers had arrived at a property in Porepunkah, about 300 km (186 miles) northeast of Melbourne, to execute a search warrant.

A $1m (£520,000) reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

Believed to have expert bushcraft skills and multiple powerful firearms, Freeman fled into bushland at Mount Buffalo
National Park following the shooting.

Local media have described him as a "sovereign citizen", a ⁠term used for individuals who regard the government as illegitimate.

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