Australian police hunt gunman who shot dead two officers in rural town

26/8/2025 15:56

Australian police are hunting a gunman who shot dead two officers and wounded another on Tuesday as they tried to serve a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations to a man at a rural property in the state of Victoria, local media said.



In a statement on social media, Victoria police said they were attending an active incident in the alpine town of Porepunkah, about 300 km (186 miles) north-east of the city of Melbourne, and asked people to avoid the area.



Police have not released details of the incident.



Local media outlet The Age reported that police visited the property to serve a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations when two officers were shot dead and another wounded in an ambush attack.



The Age said heavily armed officers from the Special Operations Group were deployed to the scene and the gunman was now on the run with several family members, including children.



The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said police believe the shooter is a "sovereign citizen". Sovereign citizens believe the government is illegitimate.