A former detective says wanted fugitive Dezi Freeman "clearly" received help in his months on the run before he was killed by police gunfire at a remote Victorian property yesterday.
Freeman, 56, had not been seen in public since two police officers were killed in a shooting ambush on his property in Porepunkah, Victoria, on August 26 last year.
In the seven months since, police received thousands of pieces of information, before a final tip led them to a property at Thologolong, about 150km by road from Porepunkah.
READ MORE: Inside the police operation that killed Dezi Freeman
LIVE UPDATES: Trump threatens to wipe out critical Iranian island if deal isn't reached 'shortly'
Freeman, who was living in a shipping container on the property, refused to surrender to officers and was killed after he emerged from the container while armed with a gun and wrapped in a blanket.
Police are working to determine whether he was in possession of the gun used to kill Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, at Porepunkah.
Former Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina said police would have acted cautiously on the information that led them to the property, including surveilling it for more than a day to confirm Freeman was there.
He said the operation would have been a difficult one, given the openness of the property in particular.
"The only advantage (police) had, there were no other people that could be put in danger," Bezzina told Today.
"Ultimately, he's got nothing to lose."
FUEL CRISIS: When will fuel prices in Australia go down?
Bezzina said while Freeman, a self-declared "sovereign citizen", may not have needed much help, it's likely he would have received some while on the run.
"He had a head start before the actual SOG (Special Operations Group) got there," he said.
"I've learned since then, there are other sovereign citizens actually in Porepunkah that would have been sympathetic to his cause."
Bezzina suggested Freeman could have approached somebody for assistance, particularly given the distance and terrain between Porepunkah and Thologolong.
"He'd have to be assisted because he's getting food and nourishment and water to that location," he said.
"He couldn't walk into town, because country people know you're a stranger, and ultimately, he couldn't afford it."
There is no suggestion any particular person, nor anybody linked to the property where Freeman was found, offered assistance to the fugitive.
Yesterday, Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush said he was "sure" Freeman had received help.
"It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was, if that is in fact him, without assistance," he said.
"We will be speaking to anybody who we suspect may have assisted him to avoid detection or arrest."
He pledged to bring charges against anybody complicit in Freeman's flight.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
- Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
- Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
- Sign up to our breaking newsletter here
