An inquest has begun into one of Australia's most shocking police shootings. Senior Constables Neil Thompson and Vadim Devart Khotar were fatally shot while attempting to serve a search warrant for alleged child sexual abuse on Desi Freeman.
The court heard that a team of ten police officers arrived to serve the warrant. After approximately 30 minutes of negotiating with Freeman through the windows of a bus where he was sheltering with his family, officers removed a window from the bus door. As Thompson attempted to enter, Freeman shot him at close range with a shotgun.
Freeman then shot Devart Khotar as the officer tried to flee, taking his gun from its holster and using it to shoot Thompson a second time. A third officer was also shot. Freeman shouted abuse at police, telling them they could die in hell, along with other statements deemed too offensive for the court.
Freeman then fled into the bush, later texting his wife saying he would see her in heaven. He remained on the run for seven months before being tracked to a property in Thalogalong, on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, where he was shot dead by police on 30 March this year.
The afternoon session of the inquest will examine the circumstances of Freeman's death at the Thalogalong property. The inquest is expected to set the direction for coming months, including the evidence and witnesses to be heard.