Dezi Freeman had been venting to close friends about police for weeks before the fatal shooting of two Victorian officers, with one text days earlier reading, “they can shoot me”.
The self-proclaimed sovereign citizen has not been seen alive for more than three weeks, after allegedly gunning down detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson, 59, and senior constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, in Porepunkah, northeast Victoria.
The killings sparked Australia’s largest-ever tactical manhunt, with Defence Force personnel, federal police and New Zealand specialists scouring hundreds of kilometres of rugged bushland.
Freeman, a known survivalist, has so far evaded capture.
Bruce Evans, a close friend who spoke to Freeman daily, said the father-of-three was “getting to the point where he had enough”.
“We were speaking every day on (Facebook) messenger or phone calls,” Evans told A Current Affair, sharing the messages between them.
The texts revealed Freeman was consumed with his battle against police after losing his licence for refusing breath and drug tests.
“I will drive soon. They can f***ing shoot me. I don’t even f***ing care anymore,” Freeman wrote in one exchange.
Evans said his friend “didn’t give a f**k anymore”.
“He was just going to drive, and if police shot him he didn’t care,” he said.
Freeman also posted rants on a secret Facebook account, calling police “the enemies of humanity” and writing, “The only good cop is a dead cop. Preferably incinerated.”
A video has since resurfaced of him clashing with officers during a Covid-19 protest before fleeing the scene.
Evans said he only learned of the deadly shooting when another friend called, telling him police and helicopters had descended on Freeman’s property.
After killing two officers and injuring a third, Freeman fled into the surrounding bushland.
Investigators have searched his home for clues and released photos showing the derelict conditions where he had been living, including sleeping inside a bus.
The yard was strewn with dishes and junk, with clutter piled high inside.
Evans said Freeman “wanted to be off the grid” but stressed he did not support his actions and offered condolences to the families.
“It would’ve been better if he just surrendered,” he said, offering condolences to the victims’ families.
Authorities have received more than 200 public tip-offs since announcing a $1 million reward, but none have led to his capture.
Police confirmed hundreds of officers remain deployed in Porepunkah and surrounding Alpine towns.
In a statement to news.com.au, a spokeswoman said resourcing “fluctuates each day, depending on the investigation and operational need”.
“Suffice to say the ongoing investigation into the murder of our two officers, and serious injury to a third, remains our highest priority,” she said.
“The local community and visitors to the area will continue to see police and an increased presence in and around Porepunkah, Bright and the greater Alpine area.”Acting Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations Russell Barrett said 125 specialist New Zealand officers briefly joined the search on September 12.
“This included incredibly rugged areas, they were crawling through caves, they were traversing rivers and falls, they were searching plantations and gorges,” he said.
Freeman is believed to still be armed.
“This is a really highly technical search that requires absolutely specialist capabilities to undertake because of the dangers that are involved,” Act Dep Comm Barrett said.
“We’re coming across animals, every step is really difficult, it’s uneven ground where you don’t have line of sight of your colleagues for a lot of the time.
“If we think about Freeman and what he’s capable of, every step must be taken really, really carefully when you consider what might be confronting you.”
Images: A Current Affair
