Canberra (BN24) – Australian police are conducting a large-scale manhunt after two officers were fatally shot and another wounded during a violent encounter in a rural town in Victoria state on Tuesday. Authorities say the gunman, described as heavily armed, fled on foot into nearby forest, sparking a massive search effort across a remote area northeast of Melbourne.
The shooting unfolded late Tuesday morning when 10 armed officers attempted to serve a search warrant at a property in Porepunkah, a small town of just over 1,000 residents located about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Melbourne. According to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, the suspect immediately opened fire, killing a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable.
“These officers were met by the offender and murdered in cold blood,” Bush said during a news conference in Wangaratta.
A third officer was shot and rushed to surgery. Officials later confirmed his injuries were not life-threatening. The identities of the slain officers have not yet been released.
Bush declined to reveal the reason behind the search warrant and would not confirm the suspect’s name or possible motivations. Authorities are also searching for the man’s wife and two children, who remain unaccounted for.
As the manhunt intensified, police helicopters, drones, and K-9 units swept the rugged terrain surrounding the town. Officers urged residents to remain indoors and avoid the area. The local school, with just over 100 students, was placed on lockdown before children were later released to their families. Public facilities and the nearby airfield were also shut down as a precaution.
The killings sent shockwaves through the law enforcement community. Police Association Victoria Secretary Wayne Gatt described the atmosphere in police stations across the state as one of “shocking and eerie dread.”
The last police officer to be killed on duty in Australia was in 2023 in South Australia. In 2022, two officers in Queensland were ambushed and killed by armed extremists who were later shot dead after a prolonged siege. Such incidents are rare in Australia, where strict gun laws were introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, which left 35 people dead and transformed the country’s firearms legislation.
Porepunkah, better known as a gateway to Victoria’s alpine region and its vineyards, has now become the center of one of the largest manhunts in recent years as police vow to bring the fugitive gunman to justice.
AP
