The families of two police officers allegedly shot dead by Dezi Freeman last year finally have answers after the fugitive managed to evade police for seven months.

Freeman allegedly killed the officers "in cold blood" in Porepunkah, Victoria last August.

He then fled into bushland, kicking off a manhunt that gripped the nation – and ended this morning.

LIVE UPDAYES: Dezi Freeman shot dead after seven months on the run

Freeman was reportedly hiding in a shipping container on a property in Thologolong when he was shot dead by heavily-armed police today.

His death brings the manhunt to an end, but the story of the Porepunkah shooting and the lives it changed forever isn't over yet.

Especially not for the families of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart

"It doesn't lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public," a Police Association Victoria spokesperson said.

The families of Thompson and De Waart-Hottart were the first to be notified that Freeman had reportedly been shot dead by police this morning.

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Freeman had several run-ins with police before that deadly day.

A self-declared "sovereign citizen", Freeman referred to police in court as "frigging Nazis", "Gestapo" and "terrorist thugs", a court judgement shows.

On other occasions he tried to place a magistrate and several police officers "under arrest" in court.

Nothing could have prepared police for what unfolded on the morning of August 26.

Officers arrived at the Rayner Track property where Freeman was living to execute a search warrant on behalf of the Wangaratta Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Freeman allegedly opened fire on the officers, killing Thompson and Waart-Hottart, and injuring a third officer.

READ MORE: Fugitive gunman Dezi Freeman shot dead by police after seven months on the run

Police returned fire but Freeman was able to escape on foot and was seen fleeing into the bush.

So began a manhunt for the alleged cop-killer, who managed to evade hundreds of police, specialist officers, volunteers and dogs for months.

Tensions were high the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

The remote town of Porepunkah was thrown into lockdown, with police urging locals to stay inside and warning outsiders to stay away.

Roadblocks were set up on the edge of town and police worked through the night in the hopes of capturing Freeman, who was believed to be armed.

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Freeman's partner, Amalia, and children presented themselves to local police for questioning. Amalia was later arrested.

But as the days dragged on, bringing brutal weather to the region, there was still no sight of Freeman.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks became months.

In September, Victoria Police announced a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Freeman's arrest.

But as the New Year rolled in, he remained at large.

Updates were few and far between.

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Despite multiple searches of Victorian bushland and properties and questioning Freeman's friends and family, police seemed no closer to locating the alleged killer.

"We are currently exploring three scenarios: the first is that Freeman is dead, either by self-harm or misadventure," Victoria Police Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said in February.

"The second [theory] is he has been able to escape the area and is being harboured by a person or people.

"And a third scenario we are exploring is that he has left the area and is on the run unassisted and he has not been located."

The following month, police confirmed charges would not be laid against Freeman's wife and two other people who were probed over the deadly Porepunkah shooting.

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Little did the rest of Australia know, Freeman was very much alive.

He was reportedly hiding out in a makeshift caravan-cross-shipping container on a rural property in Thologolong, located in Victoria's north east.

That's where police found and attempted to negotiate with the fugitive, sparking a three-hour standoff this morning.

Freeman emerged from the caravan bunker wrapped in a blanket and armed with a gun he had stolen from one of the slain police officers, 9News understands.

It is believed he opened fire at officers.

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Police believe multiple officers opened fire at Freeman, who was fatally shot.

News of his death sent shockwaves around the country, making headlines on every news site in the nation.

It's unclear how long Freeman had been hiding in the shipping container, and how police finally found him after so many months.

Those details will emerge in time.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said in a press conference that it's likely other individuals aided Freeman in evading police for so long.

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"I am sure some assisted him in getting away from Porepunkah to where he is located," Bush said.

He added that anyone "complicit" in Freeman's hiding would face charges.

Bush also suggested that the public may never know if anyone collects the $1 million reward for information leading to Freeman's arrest.

"Anything in relation to any reward or anything else about the investigation will be kept confidential," he said.

He said today's shooting was "justified" and the conclusion of the police operation will give closure to those affected by the Porepunkah shooting.

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But for the police officers and families devastated by Freeman's actions on August 26, this moment – though it has been a long time coming – is not the end.

"Closure isn't the right word," a Police Association Victoria spokesperson said earlier today.

"This represents a step forward for our members, for the families of our fallen members and for the community."

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Dezi Freeman's eldest son has condemned celebrations of the cop killer's death this morning.

In a post to a local Facebook group, a man claiming to be Dezi's eldest son Koah hit out at "disgusting humans" celebrating the fugitive's death online.

"This is news that I'll be grieving about while some of you disgusting humans celebrate online for ME to watch," he wrote.

LIVE UPDATES: Dezi Freeman shot dead after seven months on the run

"Before you have something smart to say, how about you try and experience 1 per cent of what me and my family are going through?"

"If you can't then I highly recommend keeping your nasty comments and thoughts to yourself."

Koah clarified he was "not here to defend my father's action because I know what he did was wrong".

"What I'm here about however is seeing so called "friends" and people who I thought were nice people to say some questionable things," he wrote.

"Just bear in mind that to you's my father was a cop killer, but to me that's still my father who raised me to be the man I am today.

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"And for the people who know me well they know exactly what I'm talking about.

"My heart also goes out to the family's of the fallen police officer who finally have closure," he added.

Dezi Freeman was reportedly shot dead on a rural property near Walwa, on the north-east Victorian border this morning after seven months on the run.

Victoria Police confirmed a man was fatally shot at a rural address in Walwa, north-east of Porepunkah and on the border with NSW, just before 8.30am.

Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush would not name the man shot dead, pending official identification processes, but said he was believed to be Freeman.

He is accused of murdering Victorian police officers Neal Thompson, 59, and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35 and seriously injuring a third at a Porepunkah property on August 26.

Earlier this month police announced three people, including Dezi's wife and Koah's mum, Mali Freeman, would not be charged in relation into the investigation, after they were interviewed regarding obstruction of police.

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Police likely believed cop killer Dezi Freeman was dead before they were led to a rural Victorian property where they engaged in a deadly standoff with the fugitive this morning, a former police negotiator says.

Freeman was shot dead on a remote Thologolong property, near the Victoria-NSW border, around 8.30am after three hours of negotiations, Victoria Police said today.

Police were reportedly tipped-off to his whereabouts by an associate.

READ MORE: Fugitive gunman Dezi Freeman shot dead by police after seven months on the run

Last month, police led a thorough five-day search for Freeman's body in dense bushland across dense bushland in Mt Buffalo National Park based on the "strong" belief the cop killer was deceased.

Rumours have since swirled that Victoria Police may have announced their search for Freeman's body as a tactic to make him believe their trail had run cold.

But former police negotiator and Macquarie University Criminology lecturer Dr Vincent Hurley believes police would not risk undermining public confidence in the investigation.

"They would not have said that if they did not believe at the time that that was a likely outcome," Hurley said.

"Regardless of whether they are police victims or not, when two people have been murdered and police from literally every state in territory in Australia has gone down to assist, they're not going to come out and say something that they don't think at the time is true.

"If it was said intentionally incorrectly, then what message does that send to the public about the police wanting further assistance in the future about any crime?

"In my 30 years in the police force and 22 years has a detective… you would never do that because of the consequences of it is just catastrophic."

READ MORE: 'That's still my father': Dezi Freeman's son slams 'disgusting' comments celebrating cop killer's death

Freeman may have been surveilled for a week before shooting

Police may have been watching Dezi Freeman for as long as one week before an hours-long standoff led to his shooting death this morning, Hurley believes.

"They would want to know if anyone was helping him and they'd want to know his daily routine," Hurley revealed.

"They would not have gone in at the first sight of him, at all. It would pose too many unacceptable risks.

"It could even be that the police had modelled or done scenarios based on them finding him, not necessarily in a container, but in a house or something like that."

Bush revealed Freeman was armed and wrapped in a blanket when he "exited" a shipping container on a rural Thologolong property earlier this morning, hours after police descended on the acreage around 5.30am.

Hurley believes police would have tried to reason with the so-called sovereign citizen to apprehend him alive.

"They would've surrounded [the shipping container] and the negotiator would've said to him that 'you are surrounded, there's no chance of you escaping, we've got a cordon around the area'," Hurley said.

"Then they would've given him the options and they would've tried to negotiate some type of reason with him to give up without a fight, for example.

"Ultimately, they want to get him before the court.

"They want to get him before the court to answer to the crimes, regardless of who the victims are, so it would never have been a case of retribution. Never."

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"They would have told him clearly that he was surrounded, that the options are come out, we're not gonna hurt you, we want to get you before the courts. All the usual things to reassure him.

"But given his ideology as a sovereign citizen, he would have a somewhat distorted view of what he thought would be the appropriate outcome.

Less than three weeks ago police informed the public they would not press charges against Freeman's wife Mali and two others after they were interviewed for obstruction of police.

That too was a coincidental development in the timeline of events that led to Freeman's death.

"I don't think, in my view, that they would've had him under surveillance for that long," Hurley said when asked whether police could have outlawed charges in a bid to appeal to Freeman.

"We'll never know, but I speculate it would be more coincidental than anything else."

Fears fugitive may act as example to others

The self-described sovereign citizen's death has come as a relief to many, but Hurley fears his ability to evade capture for more than seven months may spur on others who subscribe to dangerous ideologies.

"The fact that he survived seven months or six months by himself, other people like-minded to the sovereign citizen or preppers purpose, they'll be preparing now for longer than seven months," Hurley said.

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Three men are fighting for life after a stabbing in Western Sydney.

Police said the trio, aged 30, 37, and 56, were involved in an altercation just before 3.30pm in Girraween.

The 30-year-old and 56-year-old suffered several stab wounds to their torso, while the 37-year-old man suffered injuries to his arms.

AS IT HAPPENED: Details of fugitive Dezi's Freeman's final hours revealed

All of the men are believed to be known to each other.

Paramedics treated all three men before they were taken to hospital in a critical condition.

A crime scene has been established, with police investigating the fight.

Anyone who witnessed it or has footage is urged to contact police.

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Six men from Central and South America are facing the potential of life in prison for allegedly planning to import a tonne of cocaine into Australia on a boat that was stopped in French Polynesia.

Police allege the boat, called the MV Raider, was modified so that it had three separate hiding places for drugs and other illegal goods specially built in to evade detection from authorities while at sea.

"It was custom-made purely for the importation of illicit commodities," Commander Brett James of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said of the boat.

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"They were very sophisticated and designed to avoid law enforcement detection."

Authorities in French Polynesia allegedly stopped the 40-metre boat, which had set off from Central America, in January and removed 4.8 tonnes of cocaine.

It is alleged the boat was planning to travel to Australia and rendezvous with an Australia-based crew off the coast of NSW.

However, police intercepted the MV Raider about 180 nautical miles off the coast late last month, where the crew was told they would not be granted entry into Australia.

LIVE UPDATES: Dezi Freeman was 'armed, wrapped in blanket' when shot

On March 12, the ship's crew placed a distress call claiming it had mechanical issues and was low on food and water.

It was escorted the next day into Sydney Harbour, where Australian Federal Police raided the boat, while border force officers detained the men as unlawful arrivals and took them to Villawood Detention Centre.

It was during the search that police found the specially built holds, which are suspected to have previously held about six tonnes of cocaine.

While cocaine wasn't found on the ship, police seized a number of items, including electronic devices, that they claim prove the group was attempting to import a tonne of cocaine into Australia.

READ MORE: Police likely believed Dezi Freeman was dead before tip-off, former police negotiator says

Last weekend, police arrested and charged six crew members, five from Honduras and one from Ecuador, with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs.

This carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if the men are found guilty.

The men faced court today, where they didn't apply for bail.

The ship has been moored in Birchgrove since its arrival into Sydney, but will now be seized by the AFP.

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