A manhunt is under way after two Victorian police officers were “murdered in cold blood” and another wounded in a shooting at a rural property in the high country town of Porepunkah.
The Victorian police commissioner, Mike Bush, said the suspect – believed to be “heavily armed” – was still at large. Bush urged the wider community to stay indoors and said a “full deployment” was under way on Tuesday evening to find the suspect, who he described as “obviously a very dangerous person”.
A 59-year-old detective and 35-year-old senior constable were “met by the offender” and “murdered in cold blood” on Tuesday morning, Bush told reporters on Tuesday evening.
The officers were among 10 officers who attended a property on Rayner Track, shortly after 10.30am, to execute a search warrant, according to a Victoria police statement released earlier. A third officer was in a serious but stable condition, The Alfred hospital confirmed.
Bush said the incident occurred over “minutes”, but the seven uninjured officers remained at the property for hours while police locked down the area.
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The “heavily armed” suspect, who was known to police, was able to escape into the bush on his own, Bush said.
He said police were searching for his partner and two children, and it was unclear whether they were with him. The suspect’s whereabouts is unknown.
Police were examining whether the suspect took any additional weapons.
Bush said all specialist resources had been deployed into the area to find the alleged offender and arrest him. This includes detectives from the homicide, armed crime and fugitive squads, as well as the special operations group and critical incident response team.
“I want to further assure the rural community around Bright that we will do everything to bring this person into custody so that your community is safe. Can I please ask you just to stay at home, not go out and about at the moment, until this operation is concluded,” Bush said.
Earlier in the day, a local caravan park and the Porepunkah primary school went into lockdown as police searched for the offender. By Tuesday afternoon, the school’s principal, Jill Gillies, confirmed almost all the students had returned home.
“It’s been quite an ordeal,” she told ABC Melbourne.
At a press conference on Tuesday night, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said the killing of two police officers in Porepunkah was “shocking and just so utterly heartbreaking”.
“Two Victoria police officers have lost their lives in the service of our state, another has been seriously injured, and their families are facing the kind of grief that no family should ever have to experience,” she said.
“Policing comes with danger, and every day, our police officers meet that danger with enormous courage and dedication. This tragedy is a painful reminder of that bravery.”
She said her thoughts were also with the Porepunkah community, who she said were “carrying the weight of this horrific day”.
“They will not carry that weight alone,” Allan said .
The opposition leader, Brad Battin, a former police officer, earlier said he was “shocked and saddened” by the news.
“Police officers know their job is dangerous – but they do it anyway to protect us. To the families who are mourning today, know that every Australian is with you,” Battin said in a joint statement with the opposition police spokesperson, David Southwick.
“Our thoughts are also with all Victorian police officers who will be feeling this loss deeply. We know your work is hard. The dangers you face are real. And your sacrifices are often unrecognised. Today, we acknowledge your courage.”
The mayor of Alpine shire, Sarah Nicholas, offered her heartfelt condolences to the friends, family and colleagues of the two police officers “tragically killed”.
“Today has been a day of deep sorrow and shock for our community,” she said in a video statement, during which she appeared emotional.
“We hold our police in the highest regard. They serve with courage, compassion and dedication, and their loss is felt profoundly across our region. We are deeply grateful for their service and commitment.”
Nicholas said all council facilities across the shire, which also takes in Bright, Dinner Plain, Mount Beauty and Myrtleford, would be closed until further notice, and a meeting planned for Tuesday night had been cancelled.
The federal MP for Indi, Helen Haines, said it was “utterly heartbreaking” that two police officers serving the community would not make it home at the end of their shift.
“This appalling event has shaken not only Porepunkah, but communities right across the north east, and indeed the nation. While we may be geographically spread, we are close-knit, and in moments like this, we feel the loss together,” Haines said.
The Ovens Valley MP, Tim McCurdy, whose state electorate takes in Porepunkah, described the deaths as “heartbreaking”, “tragic” and “senseless”. He said his heart was also with the community as the manhunt continues to find the offender.
The secretary of Victoria’s Police Association, Wayne Gatt, said members were “devastated” by the “senseless” deaths of “our mates, colleagues and dearly loved family members”. Gatt said the loss of officers was “difficult to comprehend”, and the association was assisting all members involved and their families.
