In short:

Police have shot dead fugitive gunman Dezi Freeman in Victoria's north-east.

Victoria Police says Freeman was shot shortly after 8:30 this morning and no officers were injured.

Freeman had been wanted since August over the fatal shooting of two police officers at Porepunkah.

Police have shot dead fugitive gunman Dezi Freeman at a property in Victoria's north-east. 

Victoria Police said he was shot shortly after 8:30 this morning.

Freeman had been wanted since August over the fatal shooting of two police officers at Porepunkah.

Victoria Police said no officers were injured in the incident on Monday.

The state coroner will attend the scene and Victoria Police's Professional Standards Command will oversee the investigation into the shooting of Freeman.

Victorian government minister Sonya Kilkenny said it was a "developing situation".

"The main thing is that our thoughts, our concerns and our support are with the Porepunkah community and, of course, the families of the two police officers killed in that tragic incident almost six months ago," she said.

The 56-year-old Freeman, a self-proclaimed "sovereign citizen", fled into bushland at Mount Buffalo National Park.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart were killed in the shooting.

A Police Association Victoria spokesperson said the shooting of Freeman was "a step forward".

"It doesn't lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public," the spokesperson said.

Emergency services swarmed the regional town at the foot of Mount Buffalo, 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, but the alleged shooter slipped into dense bushland.

The search area included steep, rocky terrain littered with caves and mineshafts.

The town of Porepunkah was placed in lockdown for several days, with locals initially sent emergency text messages telling them to remain indoors with their doors and windows locked.

The emergency advice then changed to urging locals to remain vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel, but the alerts were sent to a wider area as the search for Freeman failed to result in any confirmed sightings.

Early in the search, Freeman's wife, Amalia, and their son were arrested and questioned by police in relation to allegations of obstructing police, but she was released without charge as investigations continued.

Several days later, Ms Freeman issued a statement urging her husband to surrender.

Police remained mostly tight-lipped about their search operation in case Freeman was able to monitor media reports.

Well over 100 properties in the region were searched as police investigated whether any associates were helping Freeman evade arrest.

In December, cadaver dogs assisted in a targeted five-day search for Freeman's remains.

One of the two police officers killed in the August shooting, Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, was a member of the Public Order Response Team. 

He had a passion for scuba diving and motorcycling with friends, and was fluent in English, French, Spanish and Flemish.

The 34-year-old's parents live in Belgium, his younger brother in Switzerland, and he had extended family in Melbourne.

His fallen colleague, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, was a 38-year veteran of the police force who was due to retire just days later.

He planned to spend his retirement walking across South America, fishing with his mates, hunting deer and working on his King Valley home.