The fugitive who vanished into the wilderness with his three children in New Zealand has been killed in a shootout with cops, with his children found alone at a campsite.
Tom Phillips, who had been on the run with his kids for almost four years, was killed in western Waitako on Monday.
One of his children, who was with him, was unharmed, according to police. The child was able to help police find their siblings.
Their mother, who launched an appeal for their return, has said she is ‘saddened’ by the turn of events but also ‘deeply relieved’ that her children’s ordeal is over.
Phillips was killed after police responded to calls of an armed robbery. Phillips’s case gripped New Zealand after he and his kids disappeared from their family home in December 2021.
The children, Ember, nine, Maverick, ten, and Jayda, 12, are all in police custody now. The authorities have said the children were found alone and have been ‘cooperative’ since being found.
It remains unknown whether they have been informed of their father’s death. Police also did not indicate if their mother would be involved in their care.
The authorities also said they had told Philips’s parents that their grandchildren were safe.
After the robbery, Phillips and Jayda took off on their quad bike and were stopped by police road spikes about 33km away on Te Anga Road at 3.30am.
Phillips was then confronted by a lone police officer. He shot the officer in the head with a high-powered rifle. When a second police car turned up, Phillips was shot dead, and Jayda was taken into custody.
The injured male constable was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition, where he has undergone ‘the first of many surgeries after being shot multiple times’.
Acting deputy commissioner Jill Rogers: ‘I can confirm that the children are well and uninjured, and they will be taken to a location this evening for medical checks.’
‘They will have medical examinations today and we will work very closely with our partners at Oranga Tamariki (the ministry for children) to ensure that they receive all of the support that they require at this very difficult time.’
Rumours that a baby had also been missing with the group appeared to be unfounded.
Phillips’s father, Neville, and brother, Ben, lashed out when approached by Stuff while working on the family farm at Marokopa.
‘You don’t know what it’s like to be shafted by the cops several times,’ the father told the publication. ‘Just put yourself in our shoes.’
Phillips’s body remains at the scene of the shootout.
Rogers said ‘officer intuition’ had led cops to lay road spikes down a long rural road, where Phillips was eventually caught and subsequently killed.
Police found a haul of stolen items including clothes and footwear on the quad bike, along with multiple firearms.
‘This is devastating news for Tom Phillips’s family, and is the outcome that nobody wanted,’ Deputy Commissioner Rogers said.
‘This has been a deeply traumatic incident this morning for those involved.’
The children’s mother, Cat, earlier broke her silence in a statement.
‘We are deeply relieved that for our tamariki (the Māori word for children) this ordeal has come to an end,’ she said.
‘They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care.
‘At the same time, we are saddened by how events unfolded today. Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved.’
Cat also expressed her love to the police officer injured in the incident.
‘We also extend our aroha (love) to those in the community who have been affected, and our heartfelt gratitude to the many people who have supported us over these past four years. Your compassion has sustained us,’ Cat continued.
‘As a whānau (family), we are now attempting to work in cooperation with the relevant government agencies to support the safe return and reconnection of our tamariki.
‘They have endured a long and difficult journey, and we ask for privacy as we help them adjust and reintegrate into a stable and loving environment.’
Earlier, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has advised the force that the shot officer ‘is conscious and talking to his fellow officers’.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told media that he had been briefed by police but wouldn’t be commenting.
A road block is currently in place on a section of Te Anga Road, past the Waitomo Caves between Hauturu and Waipuna Roads. Hauturu and Waipuna Roads are also closed.
Phillips vanished from the rural town of Marokopa on New Zealand’s North Island in December 2021 with his three children following a custody dispute with their mother.
They are believed to have lived in the wilderness ever since, despite numerous police search operations and a NZ$80,000 reward.
There have been several possible sightings in the last year.
Police recently released footage of Phillips and one of his children captured on CCTV using an angle grinder to break into the Piopio Superette general store.
It came days after Phillips’s family broke their silence for the first time in almost four years.
His mother Julia penned an emotional open letter to her missing son and grandchildren, which was read out by her daughter Rozzi in an interview with Stuff journalist Paddy Gower on his weekly current affairs program.
‘Tom – I feel really sad that you thought you had to do this,’ the letter began.
‘Not considering how much we love you and can support you.
‘It hurts every time I see photos of the children and of you and see some of your stuff that is still here. Thinking what could have been if you had not gone away.
‘Jayda, Maverick, Ember – I love you so much and really miss being part of your lives.
‘Every day I wake up and hope that today will be the day that you will come home.’
His sister Rozzi also publicly pleaded for her brother to come out of hiding and assured him that the family will be there for him.
