Severe weather conditions in Victoria’s high country could hamper police’s third day of searching for Porepunkah shooting suspect Dezi Freeman.
As a cold outbreak approaches Victoria’s alpine region, the state’s police minister said the force was “throwing everything” at the manhunt.
Specialist police continued to scour bushland around the rural property where Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, and Sen Const Vadim De Waart, 35, were allegedly killed by Freeman on Tuesday morning.
Police confirmed on Thursday that there had been no confirmed sightings of Freeman, 56, who they say is heavily armed.
Parts of Victoria’s alpine region, in the state’s north-east, were blanketed with fresh snow on Wednesday night, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning one of the strongest and widespread cold outbreaks of the winter season would move across the state in the coming days.
Victoria police on Thursday said “severe weather conditions” had complicated travel in the area.
As the manhunt continued, Porepunkah primary school – which went into lockdown on Tuesday – reopened. Police have urged residents in the area to stay indoors and not approach the alleged gunman if they come across him.
A message from Victoria police, seen by Guardian Australia, said police continued to search for Freeman, who was “armed and dangerous”.
The state’s police minister, Anthony Carbines, on Thursday said the force was “throwing everything” at finding the “dangerous, armed offender at large”.
He told ABC radio the officers had been “shot down in cold blood doing their job” and Freeman would be “held accountable”.
Carbines said the Victoria police chief commissioner, Mike Bush, had not asked for any additional financial support, while interstate police had provided technical and specialised assistance.
Bush on Wednesday acknowledged Freeman knew Victoria’s high country “better than us”. He said anything was possible, including that Freeman had set up traps in the bushland.
Bush said Freeman, who was seen running into the bush alone immediately after the shooting, understood “bushcraft well”. He was last seen wearing khaki tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses, police said.
Bush said police had not recovered any firearms from the property where the shooting took place, leading officers to believe Freeman had taken them all with him. Bush would not confirm reports Freeman may have also taken police firearms.
Freeman said he had a history of unpleasant encounters with the force, who he called “terrorist thugs”, “frigging Nazis” and “Gestapo” that wore “the satanic symbol” of an “inverted pentagram” on their uniforms, according to court records.
He also has a history of association with pseudolaw and “sovereign citizen” ideas.
On Wednesday, Victoria police named Thompson – an adventure-loving local detective planning his retirement – and Waart – on temporary assignment in the alpine region – as the police officers who Freeman allegedly shot as they attempted to execute a search warrants. Another office was injured.
The officer, in a stable condition after surgery, was being treated at the Alfred hospital.
The two police officers had been part of a group of 10 police – made up of local officers and members of the sexual offences and child abuse investigation team – who entered the property in Porepunkah.
Bush said the loss of the two officers had “struck at the heart” of the force, the broader policing family and the community of Porepunkah.
“In the coming days, weeks and months, we will all grieve this loss and deeply miss our colleagues and friends who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” Bush said.
“It is not lost on me that our members take a risk every time they go to work to protect the Victorian community. While we all live with the knowledge that the worst could happen on a shift, we don’t expect it to.”
Overnight, Melbourne landmarks including Flinders Street station and the Shrine of Remembrance, were lit up in blue to honour the officers allegedly shot dead by Freeman.
Comment ×