A gunman opened fire on police on Tuesday at a rural Australian property in a “horrific” confrontation that killed two officers and wounded a third.

Police launched a major hunt for the armed man, who fled into the bush after the shooting in the town of Porepunkah in northeast Victoria, senior officers said.

Police hunted through the night for the man, who they identified as Dezi Freeman.

“The suspect for this horrific event is still at large,” Victoria state police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said.

“We know that the person is heavily armed. We know that they are dangerous,” he told a news conference.

Bush said the outburst of gunfire, which happened “over minutes”, killed a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable.

“They were met by the offender and they were murdered in cold blood,” he said.