Australian newspaper The Age reported on the front page on August 26, 2025, that a shooting occurred in Boree Creek, Victoria, Australia. Ten police officers were shot by a gunman named Dez Freeman (56 years old) while executing a search warrant, resulting in two police officers killed and one seriously injured. The gunman then carried multiple weapons and fled into the surrounding mountains, and the police have sealed off the area and are conducting a search and capture operation.

Officers who planned to issue an arrest warrant for Dez Freeman, who is suspected of killing two police officers, "considered but did not request" the deployment of special police.

Freeman claimed to be a "sovereign citizen," and it is well known that he hates the police and has access to firearms. On the fifth day of the search for Freeman, the police took action against his wife and teenage son, urging the fugitive to surrender and warning sympathizers not to help him escape.

At the same time as these developments in the search for Freeman, senior officers expressed frustration, fearing that the protest planned for tomorrow in Melbourne would further drain their resources. Police Chief Mike Bush said yesterday that more than 450 police are currently in the highlands area, and this armed suspect remains at large, hiding in rugged and remote areas.

He said, "We will not leave here until this person is detained." Bush confirmed that a risk assessment was conducted before Tuesday's incident, which resulted in the deaths of 59-year-old Senior Sergeant Neil Thompson and 35-year-old Senior Constable Vadim de Vatte, but this did not trigger a request for assistance from a special operations team. He said, "They conduct a risk assessment when preparing the search warrant. Then they decide on the level of risk related to it and the resources needed to support the operation."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1841831112642572/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the [upvote/downvote] buttons below.