A gun pulled by Dezi Freeman in his final moments belonged to one of the officers the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen had executed, it has been revealed, as authorities await formal identification of his body.

Police tracked the 56-year-old survivalist to a rural property in Thologolong, about 150 kilometres from where he killed police at Porepunkah in Victoria’s High Country last August.

On Monday, there was a three-hour standoff with heavily armed officers before Freeman, wrapped in what appeared to be a blanket, was flushed out of a container-like structure.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said he had watched footage of Freeman pulling the gun from underneath the cloth and turning it towards police.

“I can now confirm that it is a police firearm, and we believe it was taken from one of our murdered officers on the 26th of August,” he said in Wodonga on Monday night.

It is not known if Freeman fired the gun before multiple officers discharged their weapons. He died at the scene.

Dezi Freeman’s lair was a private property about two hours from where he shot police last year. Photo: Seven Network

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

Officers moved into position on Sunday, but Bush would not confirm whether a tip-off led them to Freeman hideout.

Aerial footage from the scene, obtained by the Seven Network, shows how police used a high-tech “bear claw” to force Freeman out of his shelter.

The claw on a long arm extended from the front of a Victoria Police BearCat truck and was used to pierce the shipping container where Freeman was hiding.

It fired gas or capsicum spray inside and forced him out.

A ‘claw’ from a BearCat cuts into the container. Photo: Seven Network

Meanwhile, Koah Freeman, Freeman’s eldest son, lashed out at the “disgusting human beings” celebrating his father’s death.

“I am not here to defend my father’s actions because I know what he did was wrong,” he wrote on a Facebook community page.

“Just bear in mind that to you’s (sic) my father was a cop killer, but to me that’s still my father who raised me to be the man I am today.

“This is news that I’ll be grieving about while some of you disgusting humans celebrate online for ME to watch.

“Before you have something smart to say, how about you try and experience 1 per cent of what me and my family are going through?

“If you can’t then highly recommend keeping your nasty comments and thoughts to yourself.”

Koah said his heart went out to the families of the police officers his father had killed.

“My heart also goes out to the family’s (sic) of the fallen police officers who finally have closure,” he said.

“There is more to this story that media will not tell our community.”

Police are investigating how Freeman evaded capture for 216 days, including exploring the likelihood he had help.

“We’re very keen to learn who, if any, but I’m sure some, actually assisted him getting away from Porepunkah to where he was located,” Bush said.

Bush said Freeman’s appearance was slightly altered from his last confirmed sighting, which was as he fled into dense bushland on the day of the shooting.

“His hair was a little bit longer and he had a beard,” he said.

State coroner Liberty Sanger visited the scene on Monday to formally confirm the man’s identity. Bush said he expected that process to take up to 48 hours.

“The deceased is still on site so that will take some time,” he said.

“We’re confident of who that person is.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan rejoiced at the end of the months-long manhut, declaring an “evil man” was dead.

“It is over in terms of the operation but it will never be over for those families,” she said.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the memories of the fallen officers would live forever.

“The memory of cowards fades quickly but with heroes it lives on forever,” he said.

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

In December, police revealed they had shifted search efforts to locating his body.

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.

-with AAP