The person who reportedly provided authorities with a tip-off about cop killer Dezi Freeman before he was shot dead on Monday could be eligible for a $1million reward.
Police killed the fugitive after he was located in a shipping container-like structure near Walwa on the NSW-Victoria border after seven months on the run.
It is understood police received information ‘from someone close to him’ before Freeman was found 188km northeast from where he was last seen at Porepunkah in Victoria’s high country.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush refused to be drawn on the tip-off that led them there at a press conference to confirm Freeman’s death on Monday, subject to formal identification.
Commissioner Bush also said any details related to the reward would remain confidential.
Freeman shot Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, and injured a third officer at Porepunkah on August 26.
Less than two weeks later Victoria Police offered a $1million reward for information leading to Freeman’s arrest but until now the 56-year-old had evaded capture.
The reward was one of the largest ever offered in Australia, and came amid a search involving 450 police officers and members of the defence force.
‘At this time, police are unaware of Freeman’s current location and are appealing to members of the public who do have information about his whereabouts to come forward,’ a police spokesperson said at the time.
‘There is nothing to indicate that Freeman is being assisted by a specific person, however given the difficult terrain and the requirement for various supplies this remains a possibility.
‘Police are also open to the possibilities that he remains at large alone or is dead as a result of self-harm.’
The Homicide Squad’s Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said in September the reward for Freeman’s capture was unique in the state’s history.
‘While the offering of a reward for a murder investigation is not unusual in itself, what sets this apart is that this reward is for arrest and not conviction – and it is the largest reward ever offered for an arrest in Victoria,’ Detective Inspector Thomas said.
‘This figure recognises the seriousness of this violent offending and our commitment to locating Freeman as soon as possible so that he is no longer a risk to the broader community.
‘Our aim in offering this reward is that it will lead someone out there, who may not have been willing to come forward until this time, to contact police.
‘There is no doubt that up to a million dollars is a life-changing amount of money for anyone and has the potential to completely change their circumstances.’
Detective Inspector Thomas had said help from the public would be crucial in bringing the search for Freeman to an end.
‘We believe this investigation will only be brought to resolution through assistance from members of the public and again, I am urging anyone with any information at all to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers,’ he told reporters.
‘This could be sightings of Freeman, information you’re hearing in your local communities, even suspicious activity on your property – whatever it is, we want you to tell us.
‘I would also like to stress to members of the public that if you see Freeman, then we need you to call triple zero immediately because this will give police the very best chance of apprehending him.
‘Freeman has killed two people and injured a third, and it’s immensely important that we can bring him into custody safely as soon as possible – hopefully this reward helps do just that.’
The $1million reward came as friends of Freeman warned the Daily Mail a bounty could backfire spectacularly and trigger a deadly showdown between the gunman and members of the public.
‘His issue is and always has been with authority,’ one friend said. ‘But if a few locals corner him in the bush, that’s all going to change, and this could end very badly.’
Police launched a new search for Freeman early last month.
More than 100 officers, including interstate specialists, conducted a ‘significant targeted search’ over five days in the Mount Buffalo National Park.
The renewed effort came weeks after police had announced a targeted search on an adjoining area, which focused on locating evidence or Freeman’s body.
Police from the Search and Rescue Squad, Public Order Response Team, Taskforce VIPER, Critical Incident Response Team, Dog Squad and Drone Unit took part.
They worked alongside local police and Taskforce Summit investigators, as well as a NSW Police cadaver dog.
At the time, Detective Inspector Adam Tilley encouraged locals to share any information they believed could be relevant to Freeman’s whereabouts.
‘The same three possibilities remain open to us – Freeman is either dead, being harboured, or has gotten out from the area and surviving alone,’ he said.
‘At this time there is no intelligence to move us away from these possibilities or to make any one the more likely scenario, so we have to keep an open mind.
‘Police will continue to conduct targeted, intelligence-based searches such as this one and we will also have a presence in the local community for the foreseeable future.’