Two police officers were killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting Tuesday at a property in Porepunkah, Australia. The gunman fled on foot and hundreds of officers are searching for him.
The victims were Detective 59-year-old David Johnson and Senior Constable 35-year-old Michael Wilson. Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush described the attack as “cold blooded” and said the gunman was met by the officers while executing a search warrant.
Bush did not disclose what the warrant related to or confirm the gunman’s name, motivations, or identity. The police are seeking the gunman’s wife and two children, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Another detective was shot and is undergoing surgery with non-life threatening injuries. Australian media describe the suspect as 56-year-old Dezi Freeman, a radicalized conspiracy theorist who has expressed hatred for the police.
The area where the shooting occurred, Porepunkah, is a small town in Victoria state with a population of over 1,000 people. The local school and public buildings were closed due to the incident.
Police and community leaders are in shock, describing it as “shocking” and “deep sorrow”. This incident is one of the rarest types of violence in Australia, prompting national attention. It comes amid efforts by the government to tighten gun laws after a 1996 massacre that killed 35 people.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-officers-murdered-cold-blood-australia-manhunt