Fugitive Dezi Freeman, who killed two Australian police officers last year and had been on the run in the more than seven months since, has been shot dead by police.
Victoria Police said a man had been fatally shot by police at a rural address in the Australian state's northeast on Monday morning as part of the operation to locate Freeman. A formal identification process was underway.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed during a press conference that the shooting occurred during a stand-off between police and the person.
"There was an appeal to encourage the person to come out. We're examining the sequence of events," Bush said.
"There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not. We strongly believe, yet to be confirmed, that he was armed."
Detective Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart were allegedly shot dead by Freeman when they served a warrant at his semi-rural property in Porepunkah, around 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26.
A third officer was shot and underwent surgery for a leg wound.
Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen known to police, then fled into the dense bushland of Mount Buffalo National Park.
Hundreds of police, including some New Zealand staff, had been involved in the manhunt, with more than 400 officers deployed in the hours and days after the killings on August 26.
Bush said the operation to find Freeman was one of the largest in Australian history.
"It's not just the victim's families and everyone involved in the community that this brings closure for. It brings closure for every member of Victoria Police."
A AU$1 million (NZ$1.21 million) reward, the largest in Victoria's history, and the possibility of indemnity for information leading to the fugitive's capture was on offer.
Freeman's wife Mali, who police have confirmed was present during the fatal shootings, and a 15-year-old boy were previously arrested but released without charge.
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