Alleged gunman Dezi Freeman tried to kill fourth police officer but shotgun jammed, new report claims

Alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman tried to kill a fourth police officer during his shooting spree in Victoria’s high country.

The 56-year-old — also known as Desmond Filby — pointed his gun at the officer and pulled the trigger however it did not work, the Herald Sun reported.

Freeman had already shot three other police officers who were serving a warrant at the alleged gunman’s semi-rural property in Porepunkah, 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34 were killed while the third officer was seriously injured but survived.

Freeman has been on the run from police ever since the shootout and despite extensive searches and hundreds of resources no trace of him has been found.

His brother James Filby believes Freeman will not be found alive.

Filby believes the fugitive died days ago on Mount Buffalo, close to his home.

“I hope he has peace now. I imagine his last hours … were cold, lonely, fearful,” Filby said.

“What Dez did was wrong, but he’s my brother and I miss him.”

Police have scaled back the search for Freeman but there remains a $1 million reward for his arrest.

The reward is the largest ever offered for an arrest in Victoria.

Last week heavily armed police pulled over a man near Shepparton and searched a home in Goomalibee, close to Benalla as part of their continued investigation.

Police later confirmed the property had been cleared and the man who was pulled over was not involved in the fugitive’s disappearance.

Fresh searches of the Mount Buffalo National Park have also been conducted with the help of nearly 100 additional officers from the Public Response Team and specialist search dogs from Queensland Police.

The park remains closed to the public.