Read also:
- Six killed by Palestinian gunmen at Jerusalem bus stop.
- Abronye DC Arrested Amidst Controversy Over Asylum Requests.
- Foreign Minister Ablakwa Denies Approval of $5.2 Million Embassy Renovation Contract
- Ghana vs Mali: A Crucial World Cup Qualifier Tonight.
- President Mahama to Engage Media on September 10,2025
A father who had been on the run with his three children in New Zealand’s wilderness for nearly four years has been shot dead by police.
Tom Phillips, who disappeared with his children in late 2021, had evaded capture despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings over the years.
The case had gripped the country and remains one of New Zealand’s most enduring mysteries.
Phillips was killed in a shoot-out around 02:30 (14:30 GMT Sunday) on Monday, in which a police officer was seriously injured, authorities said.
Officers were responding to a reported robbery at a commercial property in Piopio, a small town in northern New Zealand, when Phillips and one of his children were spotted riding a quad bike.
Police officers then gave chase before laying road spikes to stop them. The bike hit the spikes and went off road.
When police reached the vehicle they were met with gunfire, Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters.
The first attending officer at the scene was shot in the head, and remains in a serious condition, police said.
A second patrol unit then engaged Phillips, who was shot and died at the scene. While the body had not been formally identified at the time of the announcement, police were confident it was Phillips.
The other two children were found later in the day at a remote campsite in dense bush. All three children are unharmed, Rogers said.
The child he was with, who has not been identified, had provided “crucial” information that helped them locate Phillips’ two other children later in the day.
It was unclear whether the children had been informed of their father’s death.
Police have notified their mother and Phillips’ parents that the children are safe, though they declined to comment on who will provide ongoing care.
The children’s mother, known only as Cat, told local media outlet RNZ she was “deeply relieved” that “this ordeal has come to an end” after missing her children dearly “every day for nearly four years.” But, she continued: “We are saddened by how events unfolded today.”
Authorities said Phillips had been evading capture since failing to appear in court in 2022.
Before they disappeared, Phillips and his children were living in Marokopa, a small rural town in the region of Waikato. Phillips, believed to be in his late-30s this year, had been described as an experienced hunter and bushman.
Police believe he took his children after losing legal custody of them.
Marokopa is an area surrounded by a very harsh landscape, a sweeping and rough coastline, dense bush and forested terrain with a network of caves spaning many kilometres.
Locals know Phillips as a bushman with survival skills that would have set him up for building shelters and foraging for food in the wilderness.
Still, there were signs that he got desperate for resources. Since 2023, there have been sightings of Phillips and his children at numerous break-ins at hardware and grocery stores.
Last October, a group of teenagers spotted them trekking through the bush and filmed the encounter. In the video, Phillips and the children were wearing camouflaged clothing and each was carrying their own packs.
The teenagers had briefly spoken to one of the children, asking if anyone knew they were there. The child had replied “only you” and kept walking, New Zealand’s 1News reported.
By;BBC
