Dezi Freeman manhunt day 14 LIVE updates: Slain Victorian Police officer Neal Thompson to be farewelled at funeral today
Updated:
The manhunt for Dezi Freeman continues after he allegedly shot dead two police officers at Porepunkah in Victoria on August 26.
Slain officer Neal Thompson, 59, will be farewelled at a funeral today.
Follow Daily Mail’s live coverage here.
Second police officer killed in deadly ambush to be farewelled today
The second police officer killed in a fatal ambush at Porepunkah in Victoria will be farewelled today as the hunt for his alleged killer continues.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, (pictured below) was killed in the line of duty on August 26 while executing a search warrant at the home of Dezi Freeman.
He was one among ten police officers convened to carry out the search including Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, who was also killed at the scene.
Mr De Waart-Hottart was farewelled at the Victoria Police Academy Chapel in Glen Waverley, in Melbourne’s east on Friday.
On Monday, Mr Thompson will be laid to rest at the same chapel – on the campus where his career began nearly 40 years ago.
What we know as of Monday morning:
Dezi Freeman, 56, remains on the run, 14 days after he allegedly gunned down Detective Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35, at his Porepunkah property in Victoria’s High Country.
Ten officers attended the property on August 26 to serve a warrant over historic sexual assault charges involving a minor when Freeman allegedly opened fire, killing two and wounding a third.
Detective Thompson will be farewelled at a funeral in Melbourne on Monday morning, days after hundreds of officers gathered to pay tribute to Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart at the same chapel.
There have still been no confirmed sightings of Freeman despite police issuing a $1million reward for information leading to his arrest on Saturday.
Heavily-armed officers executed a search warrant on Freeman’s Porepunkah home on Thursday, where computers, cameras and other items were seized.
The manhunt is ongoing with police continuing to clear the surrounding bushland, including caves and mineshafts.
Police earlier said they believed Freeman was being helped by people in the local community but now say there is nothing to suggest he is being helped by a specific person.
Dezi Freeman’s son, Koah, told the Australian and Herald Sun on Sunday his father had the skills to survive harsh rural conditions but was probably dead.
A former close friend of Freeman has issued a terrifying message about the wanted fugitive. Ray Kompe has not seen Freeman in a decade but remembers him clearly. ‘He’s a bloke with a lot of resolve and when he puts his mind to something, there’s just no holding him back,’ he warned.
Dezi Freeman’s son breaks silence
The son of accused cop killer Dezi Freeman has said his father had Rambo-like skills but is ‘probably dead’ in his first interview since two officers were gunned down.
Authorities continue to hunt the 56-year-old, who allegedly shot dead Detective Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart , 35, at his rural property in Porepunkah in the Victorian High Country on August 26.
During the operation, a third officer was also allegedly wounded by Freeman, who then fled into bushland and has not been seen since.
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