Fugitive Dezi Freeman shot dead by Australian police after months on the run, reports say

Fugitive Dezi Freeman shot dead by Australian police after months on the run, reports sayNine/A Current AffairDezi Freeman had been on the run since the fatal shooting of two police officers in August.Australian fugitive Dezi Freeman has been shot dead by police after seven months on the run, local media has reported.In August, Freeman, 56, allegedly shot dead two police officers on his property in the small Victorian town of Porepunkah before fleeing into dense bushland and evading extensive searches.Victorian police on Monday said a man had been fatally shot at a rural property in north-east Victoria shortly after 08:30 local time, as part of efforts to find Freeman.No police officers were hurt during the shooting, police said. The state coroner will attend the scene.Freeman, a well-known conspiracy theorist, allegedly shot dead Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart after police went to his home on 26 August with a search warrant as part of a child sex abuse investigation.In a statement shortly after Monday's shooting, the Police Association of Victoria said Freeman's death was a "step forward"."Closure isn't the right word," the statement said, adding that it "doesn't lessen the trauma" of the two police officers' deaths.Authorities will launch an investigation into Monday's shooting as part of the standard process after a police shooting.Freeman, whose real name was Desmond Filby, was a self-described "sovereign citizen", part of an anti-government movement that rejects authority and laws.Locals in Porepunkah – an alpine tourist town beneath Mount Buffalo – said he lived on his property with his wife and two children. After the alleged double murder of the two police officers, the entire area was shut down and police – with the help of international and specialist teams – scoured the area for Freeman.After almost two weeks of failed searches, police offered a A$1m (£525,000, $709,000) reward – the highest in the state's history – for information on the father-of-two.But Freeman remained on the run. Last month, police renewed their efforts to find him with a five-day search in Mount Buffalo, saying they "strongly believe" he was dead but admitted they had no evidence to prove this.Manhunt in Australian bush brings long-dismissed conspiracy theorists to the foreTrail goes cold for conspiracy theorist gunman six months onAustralia