Porepunkah Accused Gunman's Home Raided by Police

Police returned to Dezi Freeman's home in Porepunkah for a second time, one week after a deadly ambush in the country town. The incident has left the community shaken and authorities continue to investigate.

Victoria Police returned to the home of Dezi Freeman in Porepunkah for a second time last week, one week after a deadly ambush that left two officers dead. The incident has left the community shaken and authorities continue to investigate the motivations behind the attack.

On Tuesday, officers went to Freeman's property with a warrant to search it, but were met with gunfire. Senior Constable Vadim De Waart and Detective Neal Thompson were killed, while another officer was gravely injured. Freeman, who is known as a "sovereign citizen" with a documented hatred of authority, escaped into nearby bushland with several firearms, including an illegal homemade gun and at least one weapon stolen from the slain officers. He remains on the run.

The shooting has revived questions over how Australia deals with growing sects of anti-government conspiracy theorists. These individuals, often referred to as "sovereign citizens," reject established government and law as illegitimate, using legal-sounding arguments with no actual basis. In practice, this can mean refusing to register a car or hold a driver's license, or even attempting to use their own asserted authority to arrest a magistrate in court.

The incident in Porepunkah is not the first of its kind. In 2022, two young officers were shot and killed in Queensland after traveling to a rural property to check on a person who had been reported missing. The Queensland offenders were known to hold extreme anti-government, pseudo-law beliefs.

Authorities in Australia are taking the threat of pseudo-law conspiracy theorists seriously. The Australian Federal Police acknowledged in a 2023 briefing note that these groups have the capacity to inspire violence. However, experts argue that more needs to be done to understand and address this issue.

The Porepunkah shooting has left the community "freaking scary," as described by resident Emily White. The incident has also sparked discussions about the growing influence of pseudo-law beliefs in Australia, particularly in rural areas where these beliefs are often more prevalent.

As the investigation continues, authorities are focused on finding Freeman and understanding the motivations behind the attack. The community of Porepunkah remains on edge, hoping for a swift resolution to the incident.

References:
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgyk7ry8rdo