Dezi Freeman's landlord makes startling new claims about what REALLY happened that fatal day - and what the cop killer told him after he shot two officers

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:03, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 11:22, 16 May 2026 The landlord of fugitive cop killer Dezi Freeman has described their last conversation before he fled from a remote property in northeast Victoria. Freeman, 56, was killed by police after he was found at about 8.30am on March 30 in a shipping container near Walwa, close to the NSW-Victoria border. He had been on the run for seven months after he shot dead Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, while they were serving him a warrant at a Porepunkah property on August 26, 2025.  Andrew Swift bought land in Porepunkah with his wife Rebecca eight years ago. Freeman had lived on a bus there with his family for more than three years.  In an interview with YouTuber Dave Armstrong on his anti-mainstream news podcast Living Free Movement, Mr Swift said he met Freeman in the 1990s.  On the morning of August 26, the landlord said he had been in his office when Freeman's wife, Mali, phoned him. 'She was obviously distressed and she said, 'Andy, come down to the bus. The police are here and they've surrounded the bus and they're trying to get in',' he said. During the interview, which was filmed in October last year and published on social media this week, Mr Swift said he ran to the bus after Mali's phone call. The landlord of Dezi Freeman, Andrew Swift, (pictured) has described their last conversation before he fled from a remote property in northeast Victoria Freeman, 56, was killed by police in March, seven months after he fatally shot two police officers who were serving him a warrant at a Porepunkah property on August 26, 2025 Mr Swift said there were about 10 officers surrounding the bus on his property and he was threatened with arrest if he intervened. 'But Dezi was really quite together, although heightened in anxiety about asking the right questions,' the landlord added. 'At one point, they held the warrant up to the window and they explained what the warrant was, and Dezi was basically saying that it was not valid or a load of nonsense.' As he walked to the back of the bus, Mr Swift said he glimpsed Freeman ducking and shouted: 'Dezi, don't be a dick! Just be calm.'  The landlord added that, when he heard gunshots, he phoned Freeman and asked where he was.  'And on one hand, he says, 'I'm in the bus', and then on the other he says he's down ... at the huts or the paddock below,' he said. 'But he definitely wasn't with Mali. I can't remember if I hung up or he hung up.' Mr Swift told the interviewer he provided Freeman's mobile number to police to help their search for the cop killer. He claimed his phone had still been confiscated at the time of filming. Mr Swift said Dezi Freeman (pictured) told police the warrant was not valid on August 26 Mr Swift said he gave police Freeman's mobile number to help their search for the cop killer He also claimed he 'surrendered' his house to police as part of their investigation for two and a half weeks after the officers' deaths. When contacted by the Daily Mail about the claims, Victoria Police said it would be inappropriate to comment as the matter remains before the coroner. An inquest into the incident is due to begin later in May.  A coroner will examine the deaths of both police officers and Freeman in detail to establish how they died and what could be done to prevent future deaths, Queensland University of Technology forensic criminologist Claire Ferguson told AAP in April. As part of that process, a brief of evidence will be compiled, witnesses will be called to give evidence, and the judicial official will also study the final moments of Freeman's life and the police decision to shoot him. 'They'll have a full reconstruction of what actually occurred, and that might be establishing people's exact positioning in the scene and forensic evidence,' she said. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.