Malu Cursino
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

A manhunt is under way in the rural Australian town of Porepunkah after a gunman shot two police officers dead and injured a third.

A 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable were killed, Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush said, while the injured officer remains in hospital.

The suspect, who is "heavily armed" and "dangerous" was known to police before today's incident.

Ten officers attended the alleged gunman's residence at 10:30 local time (01:30 BST) on Tuesday, having been deployed to to execute a search warrant. The incident has raised questions over the safety of rural police in Australia.

The suspect escaped into the bush on foot, police say. They have urged locals to stay indoors while a large area remains cordoned off during the manhunt.

The suspect's wife and two children have not yet been located, but police say there is currently no evidence to suggest they fled into the bush with him.

"Nothing like this ever happens, this is a really, really horrible situation", a local who lives nearby to where the shooting occurred told the BBC.

Police say they will be releasing the name and picture of the suspect "imminently" - for the latest updates on this story, you can read our news article.

Image source, Getty Images

Victorian Premier, the head of the executive government in the state, Jacinta Allan says the shooting is "shocking" and "just so utterly heart-breaking".

She calls the tragedy a "painful reminder" of the bravery police officers show every day.

"Today is such a tragic day for our state," she says.

Allan also takes questions from the media.

She echoes many of the comments made by the police chief earlier - and explains that "every resource" is being deployed to apprehend the suspect.

"We stand in support of Victoria Police, of the community of Porepunkah and stand ready to support them in any way we can."

Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney

This shooting has raised questions about how Australia deals with extremist views and how it protects officers in the regions - with many citing the similarities to a shooting in Queensland which shocked the nation three years ago.

"Is this really happening again?" Porepunkah local Emily White said this afternoon.

In 2022, two officers were shot and killed after travelling to a rural property in Wieambilla, Queensland, to check on a person who had been reported missing. Another police officer was injured and a fourth hunted through the bush for hours before she was rescued.

The Queensland offenders - two brothers and a woman who was at different times married to both of them - were people who were known to hold extreme beliefs.

Details are still emerging of the incident today, but several key elements are eerily similar, Ms White noted.

Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush was tonight repeatedly asked if lessons had been learned in the years following the Queensland incident: "Has anything changed since?"

He said he couldn't comment on that, but did say that Victoria Police had done a risk assessment before they went to the property today.

"The person is known to us... and the fact that there were 10 officers attending the search warrant does talk to the gravity of the situation," Mike Bush said.

He says it's early days in the investigation so he doesn't have a lot of answers right now - but this is one question that will keep coming up.

Image source, EPA

Sussan Ley, leader of the opposition, also shared her heartbreak over the death of the two police officers.

Speaking on 3AW, a Melbourne-based radio station, Ley said: "The communities I know all across Victoria... indeed the whole country, will be feeling this very deeply because our police run towards danger.

"They don't turn away," she added.

Image source, Reuters

Bush is next asked about the advice for locals to stay indoors, he responds that the messaging and approach from the police will be considered "by the hour".

As for when the police might release an image of the suspect, he responds: "Probably imminently."

Concluding his address, the chief commissioner calls it a "terrible day" for the community, the officers and their families.

"Victoria Police are fully deployed to bring this matter to a peaceful conclusion."

With that, the news conference has ended.

The suspect is believed to have been on his own at the time of the shooting Bush says, adding that police "are still looking to locate his partner and two children, but he was not seen to head into the bush with them".

Bush does not disclose the nature of the raid that officers were executing with the warrant earlier on Tuesday.

They've cordoned off a large area, Bush says, adding that the public should remain inside as "he is obviously a very dangerous person".

The news conference has now ended, we'll continue to bring you the key lines from Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush.

Bush is now taking questions from the press. He is initially asked for more details on the suspect, he says he is "heavily armed" and "dangerous".

He adds that he won't release further details until the suspect is apprehended.

Asked what unfolded today, Bush says 10 "dedicated" officers went to execute a search warrant. Two were "murdered in cold blood".

A third officer has been injured, Bush says, adding that the seven remaining are "physically okay" but that they are obviously "very traumatised".

A journalist further asks Bush how the suspect was able to get away with so many officers at the scene.

The commissioner explains that he was "heavily armed" and was able to escape into the bush on foot.

He adds that he understands the suspect was pursued.

Image source, Reuters

Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush hands over to Wayne Gatt, from the Victoria Police Association, who starts by offering his condolences.

"Police stations have fallen silent in Victoria, there's a shocking and eerie feeling of dread," Gatt says.

He emphasises that "hundreds of our members" are still putting their lives in danger as they search for the gunman.

Bush continues to say that the suspect for this "horrific event" is still at large and adds that police believe he is armed.

He says specialist resources have been deployed to find the suspected gunman.

Image source, Victoria Police

Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush says one of the officers killed in the shooting was a 59-year-old detective, and the other officer was a 35-year-old senior constable.

The injured officer who was also shot is currently in surgery being treated, but his injuries are not life threatening, Bush adds.

The suspect is still at large, Bush says, adding that the priority is to arrest him and ensure he is held to account for the actions.

We're now hearing from Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush, who is speaking at a news conference following the shooting in Porepunkah that killed two officers.

We'll be following closely and bring you the key developments - you can also follow along by clicking Watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Reuters

We're shortly expecting to hear an update from Victoria Police, but before we do here's what you need to know:

• A manhunt is under way after two police officers were killed in the remote town of Porepunkah in Australia's Victoria state
• A third officer is seriously injured and being treated in hospital
• Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said 10 officers went to the alleged gunman's address in Porepunkah on Tuesday at around 10:30 local time to execute a search warrant
• The incident has been described by police an an "active incident" - the public have been urged to stay indoors and schools were briefly placed under lockdown
• "Nothing like this ever happens, this is a really, really horrible situation", a local who lives near to where the shooting took place told the BBC

You can follow along with the news conference from the police right here on this page, just click Watch live from 09:00 BST.

The Police Association of Victoria - a union representing officers - has said its members have been left "devastated by the senseless murder of our mates, colleagues and dearly loved family members".

"These brave officers went to work today like they did every day, to protect the community. Their dedication to protecting the lives of others, cost them their own," they said in a statement.

The association added they would do all it could to support those affected by the shooting.

We can bring you more now from the police statement. Authorities have reiterated a request for locals to stay indoors.

"I want to further assure the rural community around Bright that we will do everything to bring this person into custody so that your community is safe," Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush says.

"Can I please ask you just to stay at home, not go out and about at the moment, until this operation is concluded?" he said.

"I'm leaving now to head to the area to support our officers and support the operation."

Police are expected to give a further update in under an hour's time, stay with us for the latest developments.

We've just got a brief video statement from Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, in which he confirmed details of the incident for the first time.

Ten officers went to the address in Porepunkah on Tuesday at around 10:30 local time to execute a search warrant.

"They were fired upon. The two deceased officers are still at the scene. A third officer was seriously injured and is currently in surgery in hospital," he said.

The other officers on scene were uninjured, Bush said, but the the incident is still active and ongoing.

"We have deployed all specialist resources into the area to arrest the person responsible... [they] are currently there looking for this person."

That includes homicide detectives, the Armed Crime Squad and Fugitive Squad, and special operations police.

Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney

Speaking just 150m away from the property where the shooting has been unfolding this afternoon, Emily White tells the BBC she's terrified.

Her family owns the Mount Buffalo Caravan Park, where she has been holed up with staff and guests since just before midday.

"I got a knock on my door from one of our workers saying that there's an active shooter. I said, 'What? You're lying, you're joking,'" she says over the phone.

Police confirmed the news to her just minutes later: that two officers had been killed and a gunman was on the loose.

"I think reality really set in - that this is a really, really horrible situation," she says, her voice choking up.

"We're such a small community, and we'll leave our cars unlocked, and we'll leave our front doors open. Nothing like this ever happens."

"It's freaking scary... these police officers went to work today, just do a check on someone, and now they're not coming home."

A couple of media outlets in Australia have reported that the alleged gunman is a self-declared "sovereign citizen" - which refers to someone who falsely believes they are not subject to Australian laws and government authority.

Called SovCits for short, these people have been a presence in the nation for decades, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

The police added that they were mostly harmless.

But there's been a resurgence of the beliefs in recent years - in part fuelled by mistrust in authorities which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

And some, including the AFP, fear SovCits pose a growing threat to the public, with an AFP briefing note from 2023 saying the movement has "an underlying capacity to inspire violence".

In the statement, Mayor Sarah Nicholas said it has been an "unsettling" and "emotional" afternoon for locals.

"Today has been a day of deep sorrow and shock for our community... We are grieving together."

She paid tribute to the officers killed, extending "thoughts, love and unwavering" support to their families.

"We hold our police in the highest regard. They serve with courage, compassion, and dedication, and their loss is felt profoundly across our region," she said.

Nicholas also thanked teachers for keeping children calm at the nearby school, and locals for following the instructions of police.

"Please stay safe," she ended by saying.

As a reminder, police in Victoria have said the area is still facing an "active incident" and have asked the public to stay away.

In a post to social media, the Alpine Shire Council Mayor, Sarah Nicholas, has confirmed the death of two police officers.

Victoria Police are expected to give an update for media in the coming hours, but are yet to confirm this information themselves.

Image source, EPA

Students at Porepunkah Primary School will be allowed to go home following an earlier lockdown lasting hours, its principal Jill Gillies has told broadcaster 3AW radio.

Students living in the Porepunkah area can be picked up by family members. However, those living in more distant areas will remain inside school premises for the moment.