New Zealand police on Tuesday released photographs and a list of items recovered from a remote campsite used by fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children before he was shot dead by officers following an armed robbery.
The images and inventory, taken at a bush clearing about 2 kilometres from the site where Phillips was killed, show a concealed quad bike and motorcycle, camouflage netting, spare wheels, a fuel drum, water containers and a small number of food and drink containers. The pictures do not show any obvious shelter, bedding, blankets, spare clothing or signs of a fire.
Police said officers located the makeshift camp after receiving information from one of the Phillips children. Commissioner of Police Richard Chambers said several firearms were recovered at the site and investigators will work over coming months to determine whether others were involved or provided assistance.
"We are interested in how Phillips was able to access multiple firearms," Chambers said. "There's a lot of work to do over the next few months that will help us determine whether or not there is anybody else that's been involved." He said the site remained an active crime scene on Tuesday.
The sequence of events began early Monday after a witness called police to report a suspected theft from a farm supply store in Piopio on New Zealand's North Island at about 2:30 a.m. Police later confronted Phillips and his 12-year-old daughter Jayda on a quad bike; the pair fled and were stopped about 33 kilometres away on Te Anga Road near Waitomo by road spikes at about 3:25 a.m., police said.
A lone officer who approached the pair was shot and critically injured, according to police. When backup arrived, officers returned fire and Phillips was killed. The officer, identified in court documents as "Officer A," was visited in hospital by Chambers and Minister of Police Mark Mitchell on Tuesday. Chambers said the officer has a long road to recovery and that police would support him and his family.
Jayda was taken into custody at the scene. The other two children, Ember, 9, and Maverick, 10, were located hours later at the bush campsite and are in the care of the Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki. Oranga Tamariki regional commissioner Warwick Morehu said the children were "settled" and together, and would be given whatever support they needed.
Mr. Mitchell said Phillips was armed with "multiple high-powered firearms" and described him as "very unstable in his thinking," adding that the events demonstrated how dangerous the situation had been. Police said Jayda supplied information that helped officers reach her siblings safely.
Phillips, 36, disappeared with the three children from the small town of Marokopa in December 2021 after a custody dispute. Despite multiple searches and an NZ$80,000 reward, the family remained at large for almost four years before Monday's confrontation. Chambers said police had searched the same terrain repeatedly during that period and that it was "highly likely" officers had been close to locating them on previous occasions.
Photographs released by police show a rucksack, a metal tank, a steel mug, a child's lunchbox and drink bottle, two cans of Sprite and a crushed can of Coca-Cola near the parked vehicles. Two wheels stood upright beside the concealed motorcycle and a plastic container holding fluid was also visible. Investigators noted the absence of clear sleeping arrangements or a visible fire, prompting questions about how the family sustained themselves while living in the bush.
Chambers said police would also look into whether Phillips had access to other transport not recovered at the site and any external assistance. He reiterated that examinations and interviews would continue in the weeks and months ahead to establish the full circumstances of the family's movements and support networks, if any.
The matter is the subject of an ongoing police investigation. Authorities have said the children will be given time to settle before formal interviews are conducted and that welfare support will continue for as long as necessary.