Dezi Freeman asked Victoria Police’s elite tactical officers to “have a beer” with him moments before he was shot dead during a dramatic siege in Victoria’s high country, a court has heard.
Details of Freeman’s final hours in Thologolong and the Porepunkah killings were aired in the Victorian Coroners Court on Monday, where an inquest into the deaths of two police officers was heard alongside a separate inquest into his fatal police shooting.
The Porepunkah inquest heard Freeman had shot Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson in the face after he breached his makeshift bus on Rayner Track, then took Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart’s service handgun after shooting him in the head from behind, later using it to fire again at Thompson when he was already dead.
Both inquests were attended by family members of the fallen officers, including Thompson’s sisters Dianne Thompson and Lois Kirk. De Waart-Hottart’s family was dialled in from Belgium.
Counsel assisting the court Lindsay Spence outlined the separate sequence of events at Thologolong on March 30, where Freeman was located seven months later and shot dead by Special Operations Group officers after a prolonged stand-off.
The court earlier was told a 10-member Victoria Police team had originally attended Freeman’s property at Porepunkah with a warrant to arrest him and seize electronic devices following allegations involving a child under 16.
Mr Spence said officers spent extended periods attempting to negotiate with Freeman, who remained inside a bus on the property with his wife, Amalia (Mali) Freeman, before police ultimately moved to force entry.
He told the court that as officers breached a window on the bus door, Thompson attempted to climb inside.
“As his body entered through the window opening, the offender discharged a shotgun towards him, impacting Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson to the side of the face and neck, causing immediate collapse,” Mr Spence said.
Police outside yelled “gun” and officers ran for cover behind vehicles and a shipping container.
Mr Spence said Freeman then turned his attention to de Waart-Hottart, who was attempting to retreat, and fired again.
“As Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart attempted to run, the offender discharged the shotgun a second time, impacting the senior constable in the head region,” he said.
The court heard Freeman then moved through the property while other officers scrambled for cover, with three taking shelter behind a white van and two behind a container as further shots were fired.
Body-worn camera footage captured Freeman yelling from inside the bus: “I had no choice.”
Less than a minute after the initial shots, Mali allegedly climbed from the bus with a young child and walked towards a nearby riverbank. The Australian revealed in October how Mali was picked up by her son, Koah from a nearby road.
Mr Spence said Freeman later emerged carrying a shotgun and approached de Waart-Hottart, removing the officer’s firearm and magazine from his belt before continuing the attack.
He then fired towards officers sheltering behind the white van, shattering glass and causing one officer to suffer cuts to the face and neck.
A police officer returned fire but missed. Another shot from Freeman narrowly missed an officer as he attempted to reload.
Freeman then re-entered the bus before again using the stolen police handgun to fire multiple times at Thompson.
At one point, a police officer calling out to Thompson was met with Freeman yelling: “F..king scum, die in hell.”
Mr Spence said Freeman was later seen fleeing the property holding both the shotgun and the police-issued handgun.
As he ran, he fired another shot towards a police officer, leaving the officer with serious lower body injuries.
“Freeman was last sighted running down the hill towards the river and out of sight into bushland surrounding the property,” Mr Spence said.
Freeman remained on the run for more than seven months before being located at Thologolong, where the separate inquest examined the circumstances of his death.
At Thologolong, the court was told Victoria Police deployed a large-scale operation involving the air wing, covert surveillance teams and the BearCat armoured vehicle after confirming Freeman’s identity at a remote site.
Mr Spence said Special Operations Group officers deployed gas canisters into a modified shipping container where Freeman was believed to be sheltering.
He was later seen wrapped in a doona inside the structure, behaving erratically and referring to police as “thugs” and “bullies”, while accusing officers of being there to “murder me and my family”.
At one point, he emerged and told officers: “Come have a beer with me and we’ll talk about it.”Police later fired more gas canisters into the container before Freeman stepped into the doorway holding a green bag with his hands not visible.
Moments later, officers believed Freeman discharged a firearm as a police dog was deployed. The SOG then opened fire, discharging multiple rounds.
Freeman was struck and died at the scene.
The court heard eight SOG members fired during the final confrontation. A police-issued handgun was recovered at the scene, and investigators believe Freeman had taken the weapon during the Porepunkah shootings.
The inquest was told Police Air footage captured the final moments of the standoff on video, while none of the SOG officers were wearing body-worn cameras.
Mr Spence also revealed that prior to the shootout, Freeman used his phone to record 23 minutes of audio from inside the shipping container.
The court heard the audio captured Freeman talking, the negotiations and the discharge of the firearms.
Both inquests will continue in the coming months.
Mohammad AlfaresJournalist