Fugitive police killer Dezi Freeman was wrapped in a blanket and armed when officers confronted him at a lonely property near the Murray River early on Monday.

The seven-month manhunt for the self-described “sovereign citizen” ended on Monday when Freeman was shot dead at the property in Victoria’s remote north-east.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said only the coroner could officially confirm the dead person on the Walwa property was Freeman. But he said the incident “brings closure to what was a tragic and terrible event”.

“There was an appeal to encourage the person to come out,” Bush said. “It did result from a stand-off. He then exited the building. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not.

“Everything I know at this point tells me that this shooting was justified.”

Bush said Freeman had been hiding in building described as a cross between a caravan and a container. Police confronted Freeman while he was armed, probably with a gun.

“That is my understanding at this stage,” he said.

A public tip-off led police to Freeman’s hiding place on Monday. They had hoped for a peaceful resolution to the manhunt.

“We don’t determine how they end,” Bush said.

He said Monday’s operation on the remote property was “textbook”.

“They are absolute professionals who train for this kind of thing, day in and day out,” he said.

The property where Freeman was reportedly hiding out. Photos: Seven Network/AAP

Freeman was wanted over the fatal shootings of Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart. They were among a team of officers who went to his home in the small town of Porepunkah in late August to serve a warrant.

A third officer, whose name has not been made public, was also seriously injured.

The killer, who was also known as Desmond Filby, had not been seen since fleeing into bushland shortly after the shooting.

He was found hiding out in a container-like building at a rural property near Walwa, more than two hours’ drive from Porepunkah, on the Victorian-NSW border.

Bush said Freeman was alone on the property. Police will speak to its owners to find out if he has had help to hide out there, although there is no suggestion they knew Freeman was there.

“Everyone in that environment will be spoken to … to understand whether or not they actually assisted,” Bush said.

“It’s a rural property, no doubt at some point we will be able to describe it and provide photos. No one else was in the immediate vicinity, but there may have been people in the wider vicinity.”

He said there were vehicles on the property, although it’s not known if Freeman had used any. He said it would be “very difficult” for the fugitive to have got to the property without help from someone else.

Dezi Freeman is accused of killing police officers Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Neal Thompson. Photos: Victoria Police

‘Closure’ for grieving families

Thompson, 59, was just a week away from retiring when he was shot, while de Waart-Hottart, 34, was on temporary assignment to the area.

De Waart-Hottart’s parents were in Melbourne last Friday for a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Russell Street bombing. Bush said the families of the slain officers were the first told of the shooting.

“That is such an important focus for us,” he said.

“I mentioned at the outset that this [brings] more closure to them. This has brought closure.”

Victoria Police has also spoken to Freeman’s family, including his wife Mali. Bush refused to share their reaction.

“That’s for them to talk about,” he said.

The police union praised officers for finding Freeman after months of searching dense bushland but said his death wouldn’t lessen the trauma of losing their two slain colleagues.

“Today, we won’t reflect on the loss of a coward,” a spokesperson said.

“We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer that has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community.”

Local federal MP Helen Haines said a dark cloud had hung over the Porepunkah community for seven months and Freeman’s death would come as a relief.

Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said her thoughts were with the community and the families of the two slain officers.

Hundreds of police from across Australia were involved in multiple searches for Freeman in extreme conditions, including snow and heat, and dense bushland in mountainous terrain.

In December, police said the search had shifted to looking for his body. On Monday, Bush said the available information previously suggested Freeman had taken his own life.

In February, a multiple-day effort to scour the bush with cadaver dogs and drones yielded nothing.

Victoria Police offered a $1 million reward and the possibility of indemnity for information leading to his capture, the largest financial offer in the state’s history for facilitating an arrest.

Freeman’s wife, Mali, who was present during the fatal shootings of the officers, and a 15-year-old boy were previously arrested but released without charge.

-with AAP