Police in New Zealand have issued a statement after fugitive dad Tom Phillips was shot dead after a four-year manhunt. He was killed during a shootout in the Waikato region in the early hours of Monday (September 8) morning.
Phillips disappeared with his three children in December 2021, sparking a nationwide search and years of scattered sightings. One of the children was with him when the shootout happened, but was unharmed. That child later helped officers locate the two siblings, who were eventually found at a bush campsite. Police confirmed all three children are safe and cooperative.
According to the BBC, the confrontation began at around 2:30 am local time when police received a call about a suspected burglary at a farm supply store in Piopio. A short time later, officers intercepted a quad bike heading towards Marokopa. After laying spikes to stop the vehicle, police said they came under fire and a shootout broke out.
During the exchange, Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said an officer was “struck in the head” at close range. The officer was airlifted to hospital and will need “numerous” surgeries. New Zealand media reported he has suffered injuries to his eye.
Waitomo District Mayor John Robertson told the New Zealand Herald, “It’s just so sad, for, obviously, for him, for his family, for his community that he’s serving.” He added, “He’s a local person that our part of the community knows really well.”
A second police unit then engaged Phillips, who was shot dead at the scene. Officers later found multiple firearms and stolen goods on and around the quad bike.
With Phillips dead, attention quickly turned to the missing children. Police launched an urgent search through the surrounding bush, which ended successfully when the siblings were located.
Children are safe after a long night in the bush
via NZ Police
Updating the public, Deputy Commissioner Rogers said in a statement, “Their welfare remains our top priority. For that reason, we will not be going into details about where they are now or their mental state.”
She confirmed the two children were found unaccompanied and “cooperative”, and that their mother, Cat, along with Phillips’ parents, had been informed.
Rogers also paid tribute to the community, saying, “These are small, rural and tight knit communities. They look after our people and we’re very grateful for the support that they’ve provided this morning.”
Earlier in the day, before the children were found, she described the situation as “devastating news for Tom Phillips’ family, and [it] is the outcome that nobody wanted.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also addressed the situation and said, “It is a sad and absolutely tragic event. This is not what anybody wanted to happen today. I think that is a consistent feeling from everybody across New Zealand.”
Journalist Karen Rutherford, who has covered the case since it began in 2021, reflected on Phillips’ notoriety. “Tom Phillips was deemed the ‘hide and seek champion’, he took his children [into the] bush almost four years ago.” She added, “Over the years the police have said they believed Tom Phillips was getting help from within the community.”
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