A father who had been on the run with his three children for nearly four years was shot dead by police during an overnight incident in Piopio, New Zealand, authorities said. Police said they were confident the man killed was Tom Phillips, who disappeared with the children in late 2021 after losing legal custody.
Officers responded to reports of a robbery at a commercial property before 3 a.m. local time on Monday and spotted Phillips and one of his children riding a quad bike, Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters. A pursuit followed and police deployed road spikes; the quad bike hit the spikes and went off the road.
When officers reached the vehicle they reported coming under fire. The first attending officer was struck in the head and remains in a serious condition, police said. A second patrol unit returned fire and the man was shot and died at the scene. Police said the body had not been formally identified at the time of the announcement but they were confident it was Phillips.
The child who had been on the quad bike with Phillips survived and, police said, provided information that led officers later in the day to locate the other two children at a remote campsite deep in bushland. All three children were found unharmed. Police have informed the children's mother and Phillips's parents but have not disclosed whether the children have been told about their father's death.
Phillips, believed to be in his late 30s, went missing with his children from the small rural settlement of Marokopa in late 2021 and had been evading capture since failing to appear in court in 2022. He had been the subject of a nationwide search and multiple reported sightings over the years, including footage last October showing him and the children walking through dense bush while wearing camouflage clothing. Local police said there were recorded incidents since 2023 of break-ins at hardware and grocery stores believed to be linked to the family.
Authorities also had issued a warrant last year relating to an alleged bank robbery in Te Kuiti, police said, and an accomplice was suspected in that incident. Marokopa, the community where Phillips and his family lived before they disappeared, is a sparsely populated coastal area known for rugged terrain, dense forest and caves. Residents have long said Phillips was an experienced hunter and bushman who would have been able to survive in remote bushland.
Less than a month before the shooting, members of Phillips's family publicly appealed for him to return. In an interview with a local news outlet, his sister said the family was ready to help and wanted to be reunited with the children. "I really want to see you and the kids and be part of your lives again," she said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the events "sad and absolutely tragic" and said the outcome was not what anyone wanted. Some local residents expressed relief the children had been found but sorrow over how the situation ended. A Waitomo district resident said she had hoped for a happier ending, saying concern for the children's wellbeing would be paramount.
Police have not released details about any weapons recovered or whether charges will be brought in relation to the earlier reported robbery that prompted the response. Investigations into the shooting, the reported robbery and the broader circumstances of the family's disappearance and movements over the past years remain under way. Rogers said police would continue to work with child welfare and health services to ensure the children receive appropriate care and support.
