Police killed in Australia shooting named as manhunt continues
The tight-knit community of Porepunkah, nestled in the foothills of the Australian Alps, is reeling in shock and grief today.
A sense of lockdown anxiety has replaced the usual quiet camaraderie, following a deadly shooting that claimed the lives of two police officers, identified as veterans Detective Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.
Neal Thompson, 59, was a pillar of the local Wangaratta community, a man on the brink of a well-earned retirement after dedicating nearly four decades to the force.
Colleagues remember a great lover of the outdoors who was finally preparing to enjoy his passion full-time. His death, so close to the finish line, has added a profound layer of tragedy to the event.
Alongside him died Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, an avid traveller who had journeyed from Belgium to make a new life and a new career in Australia.
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His temporary posting to the region was a chapter in what promised to be a long and fulfilling story.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said the “devastating loss” of the two men had “struck at the heart” of both the policing family and the small community they served.
“While we all live with the knowledge that the worst could happen on a shift, we don’t expect it to,” he added, voicing a somber truth known to all first responders.
As the massive search for the alleged shooter, Dezi Freeman, continues through the unforgiving wilderness, the town remains in a state of suspended animation.
Local airport manager Marcus Simpson captured the mood: “It’s a good community, tight-knit… [The town] is going to need a bit of a big healing process to get over it.” For now, the healing cannot begin until the hunt is over.
Content Credit | Olaoluwa Ayomide
Image Credit | au.news.yahoo.com
