Fugitive Killed After Seven-Month Manhunt

0:00It's March 30th. Welcome to Sydney News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. A seven-month manhunt for Desi Freeman, the guy who gunned down two Victoria police officers came to a deadly end early Monday near the Murray River. Police confronted the armed fugitive at a remote property in Northeast Victoria, and after a standoff, they shot him dead when he wouldn't surrender. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush called it justified and textbook police work. A public tip-led cop straight to his hideout, a makeshift spot like a caravan, crossed with a shipping container. Freeman stepped out wrapped in a blanket, packing heat, but ignored chances to give up peacefully. Bush said the team handled it like pros, trained for exactly these high-stakes moments. This brings some closure to the families of the fallen officers, Neil Thompson, who was 59 and days from retirement, and Vadim Dede, Wart Hodder, just 34 on a temp gig. The police union hailed the searchers' grit, but said nothing erases the pain of losing

1:01those brave souls. Local communities feel a huge weight lifted after months of fear. Back in late August, Freeman ambushed officers serving a warrant in tiny poor punka, killing two and wounding a third before vanishing into the bush. Hundreds of cops scoured rugged terrain in snow, heat, even with drones and cadaver dogs, chasing a $1 million reward, the biggest ever in the state. Investigators now talk to property owners to see if anyone helped him hide, though no signs point that way yet. Freeman's death wraps this nightmare, letting the focus shift to honoring the heroes and healing the scars left behind.