Victoria Police has formally identified the two officers tragically killed while on duty near Porepunkah as Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson (VP26182) and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart (VP44954). In an official notice, the force outlined their service histories and personal tributes, and shared condolences from Chief Commissioner Mike Bush.
Thompson joined Victoria Police in 1987, served in general duties at Collingwood, then in the Major Fraud Squad and State Crime Squad, before moving to Wangaratta CIU in 2007. Loved by colleagues for his love of the outdoors, he had been planning for retirement with his partner Lisa.
De Waart began his career in 2018 at St Kilda Police Station, later joining the Public Order Response Team in 2023 and was on temporary assignment in Wangaratta. An avid traveller fluent in French, Spanish, Flemish and English, he recently purchased his first home in Melbourne. He is survived by family in Belgium and Switzerland, and extended family in Melbourne.
The officers died during a Tuesday operation to execute a search warrant at a rural property, where the alleged gunman fled into nearby bushland. A large-scale police response continues in Victoria’s northeast as authorities warn the community to remain vigilant amid difficult terrain and winter conditions.
The suspect—identified publicly as Dezi Freeman (also known as Desmond Filby)—is believed to be heavily armed, prompting roadblocks, closures and an intensive manhunt across the Alpine region. A third officer wounded in the incident underwent surgery and is reported to be in a stable condition.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, who was appointed in June 2025, expressed the force’s grief and praised the courage of members who “take a risk every time they go to work to protect the Victorian community.”
Community tributes are flowing for both officers, whose service and lives have been celebrated by colleagues, local residents and leaders across Australia.
Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin, a former police officer, said the state now knows the identities of the two officers who laid down their lives in Porepunkah and paid tribute to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, “tragically killed in the line of duty.”
He said both men dedicated their lives to service, with Neal giving decades of good work and Vadim serving with optimism and pride, and he offered condolences to their families, friends and colleagues.
If you have information that could assist police, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a report online.
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