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Cait Kelly
Roadblocks around property cleared
The road to the property Dezi Freeman lived in was at the centre of the action yesterday with the police roadblock, a helicopter flying overhead and several loud popping noises heard in the area.
This morning, access to the property is completely restored. A red car that had blocked the driveway has been driven to the side and there are no police around.
A red car blocking access to the property yesterday. It has now been driven to the side and there are no police around. Photograph: Simon Dallinger/AAP
Police have told the ABC there has been no sightings of Freeman since Tuesday when he ran into the bush, despite the roadblock near the property he lived in.
It is cold and overcast up here, making the search today difficult.
Police have warned people and the media not to go near the old property: the current advice to the broader Porepunkah area is for people to stay indoors for their own safety.
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Updated at 23.00 BST
Cait Kelly
It’s quiet in Porepunkah this morning
The police roadblock that was stopping cars entering the area around the property where gunman Dezi Freeman was living has ended.
Last night a huge convoy of cars were seen leaving the area just house after loud popping sounds were heard.
We are expecting police to make a statement today, and will update when we have more.
Dense bushland around Porepunkah. Photograph: Simon Dallinger/AAPShare
Updated at 22.55 BST
Victoria police urge local residents to remain vigilant
Victoria police said last night that public safety in the Porepunkah area remained its major priority as they continue to search for Freeman. Authorities were urging those in the area to remain vigilant and stay indoors where possible as the search continues.
Police said:
There has been extensive support received from our partner agencies and while for operational reasons we cannot go into all the specifics of the search, rest assured the police response is dedicated and substantial.
Police continue to advise people to remain vigilant and stay indoors where possible while the search for this suspect continues.
Police on Mt Buffalo Road, just west of Porepunkah. Photograph: Stuart Walmsley/The GuardianShare
Who is Dezi Freeman?
In case you missed it, our reporters have been finding out more about Dezi Freeman, his life on the sprawling rural property on the edge of the town, and what might have forged his apparent anti-authority beliefs.
Dezi Freeman. Photograph: SuppliedShare
Updated at 22.18 BST
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the live blog. I’ll be bringing you updates throughout the morning.
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Updated at 22.19 BST
Jacinta Allan pays tribute to dead police officers
Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, announced that prominent Melbourne buildings would be lit up in tribute to the dead police officers.
Parliament House lit in blue in honour of the two @VictoriaPolice officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, whose lives were tragically taken in the line of duty on Tuesday 26 August 2025. #springst pic.twitter.com/DxsDCqC54o
— Parliament of Victoria (@VicParliament) August 27, 2025
She expressed her deepest sympathies to the the family, friends and colleagues of the two officers.
She said:
It’s a very physical way that we can say to the men and women of Victoria police, we stand with you, we support you, we care for you, we love you, particularly in this time of grief.
Floral tributes for two dead police officers at Wangaratta police station. Photograph: Allanah Sciberras/AAP
In Wangaratta, down the road from Porepunkah, people have decorated the foyer of the town’s police station with bouquets of flowers in memory of the fallen policemen.
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Updated at 22.03 BST
As the search for Dezi Freeman nears the 48-hour mark, our reporters have been reporting from the scene in Porepunkah.
The normally quiet, idyllic Victorian high country town has become the focus of national attention with helicopters buzzing overhead and police officers swarming the local bushland.
One local who knew Dezi Freeman told us that the fugitive was a “new age Ned Kelly” who would be “pretty handy in the bush” even with up to a metre of snow forecast for the region over the next three days.
Another said: “It’s not some conspiracy theorist town. What’s happened – in any place [it would be] so far out of the ordinary. So it’s quite surreal really.”
Read the whole article here:
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Updated at 22.16 BST
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the hunt for the Porepunkah shooting suspect, Dezi Freeman.
The search goes into its third day today with police still camped in the small Victorian high country town to search bushland around the property where detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson, 59, and senior constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were allegedly killed by Dezi Freeman on Tuesday morning. We’ll have the latest on the search in a moment.
Victoria’s Parliament House has been lit up in blue in tribute to the dead officers with state premier, Jacinta Allan, saying it was a way of paying physical tribute to the men. More coming up.
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