An armed ‘sovereign citizen’ is on the run with his wife and children after shooting dead two police officers and wounding another at a rural property near Porepunkah, 300km northeast of Melbourne.
The shootings are believed to have happened at a farm on Rayner’s Track near the base of Mount Buffalo in Victoria’s alpine region.
The officers were at the property to execute a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations on Tuesday morning when he gunned down two of them and shot the third in the thigh.
The gunman, who is ‘very well’ known to police and reportedly took firearms from the dead officers, is understood to live in a bus on the property and may have changed his name.
Heavy gunfire prevented local police from entering the property as they waited for Special Operations officers to arrive at the scene.
The ‘heavily-armed’ gunman is believed to have taken his family hostage and fled the scene as scores of cops now scour the rugged wilderness area for him.
Camouflaged officers, an armoured tactical vehicle, and Victoria Police Air Wing have arrived in Porepunkah, population 1,024, located 6km from the popular tourist town of Bright.
More than 50 police officers are at the scene, with a spokesperson warning: ‘This is still an active incident. We ask people to avoid the area.’
The suspected gunman has changed his surname to reflect his sovereign citizen belief that he is independent from recognised government, court or police control.
The father-of-two is renowned locally for his previous run-ins with authority and even with his own neighbours in the remote close-knit community.
‘He has a cuckoo-ness about him,’ said one resident who described him as ‘disrespectful’ to local authorities.
‘He is anti-police, anti-Commonwealth law. I suppose you could call him a conspiracy theorist or one of those alternative people.’
Locals said the shootings occurred near Mount Buffalo Caravan Park, which officers are searching.
Campers in tents have been shifted to secure cabins and police have advised people not to leave keys in their cars.
Emily, whose mum owns Mt Buffalo Caravan Park, spoke to the Daily Mail from her family’s locked-down caravan park.
‘We’re all ok but a bit rattled, stuff like this doesn’t happen here,’ she said.
Porepunkah residents have also been told to stay indoors while the police operation unfolds.
Children at Porepunkah Primary School have been in lockdown since 11.30am.
Jill Gillies, the school’s principal, told ABC radio ‘we’re all safe and calm and having the best time we possibly can under the circumstances’.
Alpine Shire Council has closed all its facilities including transfer stations, libraries and Visitor Information Centres and depots, the council’s customer service centre in Bright, and the Bright Sports Centre.
Premier Jacinta Allan has advised Victorians to avoid the Porepunkah area and follow police advice.
In a statement posted to X on Tuesday just after 1.30pm, Ms Allan said the ‘thoughts of all Victorians’ were with the police force following the shootings.
‘A police operation is currently underway in Porepunkah, in Victoria’s northeast,’ she wrote.
‘I have been briefed by the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. This situation remains active.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was ‘very concerned for some of the police officers who are involved’.
n Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said ‘our thoughts and prayers are with Victoria Police right now’.
‘We hope that they are all safe and well, however, we’re hearing there are some grave concerns for some of those police officers and our hearts go out to the community.’
Police have directed all media covering the unfolding event to Wangaratta Police Station.
‘This is an active and ongoing incident which may present significant risk to members of the public. We are asking that you do not attend the scene at this time,’ the spokesperson said.
More to come.