Loved ones, colleagues and emergency services are tonight paying tribute to two police officers killed on the line of duty at Porepunkah earlier this week.
A large crowd gathered at Wangaratta Police Station where a memorial honouring Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart commenced at 7pm.
The officers were killed on a property in Porepunkah while serving a warrant for child sex offences, sparking a major police manhunt for alleged gunman Dezi Freeman.
READ MORE: ‘Wear him down’: Weather a major factor in gunman search
Two minutes of silence was observed outside the station, representing one minute for each of the fallen officers.
CFA trucks, ambulances and men and women in uniform were seen commemorating their colleagues with a military-style salute and march.
A floral tribute at the entrance to the Wangaratta Police Station continues to grow, with dozens of arrangements and heartfelt cards surrounding photos of the two fallen officers.
Thompson’s soccer teammates today remembered “Thommo” as a larrikin, a proud police officer and a man who worked for the community.
“Neil was a tower of a man in every sense,” friend Tom Marshall said.
“Thommo loved his job and he’s very proud of it and, sadly, he’s died doing what he loved.”
READ MORE: Queensland woman denied boarding, forced to pay $10k over visa error
“It’s it’s like losing a family member, and all of the police across Australia and probably internationally are feeling the pain that we’re feeling, which is horrible,” friend Mark Williams said.
State officials today met with Thompson’s partner Lisa to offer their support.
“It was a privilege alongside the Premier and Chief Commissioner Bush to spend some time today with Mr Thompson’s wife Lisa, also a serving officer of Victoria Police,” Police Minister Anthony Carbines said.
“We pay our deepest respects to these officers and their families and we wish our police members who hunt a dangerous fugitive and armed offender every success and we want them to stay safe as they do that.”
A minute’s silence was also observed in federal parliament in honour of Thompson and De Waart, as their colleagues battled strong weather conditions in the bid to bring their alleged killer to justice.
“Our hearts go out to everyone whose heart is breaking,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“We honour the bravery of detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson and senior constable Vadim De Waart and our hopes and prayers are with their fellow officers at the scene, including one currently in The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne receiving treatment for their wounds.
“As a Parliament, as a country, we offer our deepest condolences to all whose worlds have been shattered by this horrific shooting.”
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
