Wellington, Sep 8 (AP) - A man who managed to evade authorities in the remote countryside of New Zealand with his three children for almost four years was shot and killed by a police officer on Monday, according to law enforcement officials.
During the confrontation, one child was with Tom Phillips, while the other two were located hours later in a forest following a shootout that left an officer critically injured.
The disappearance of Phillips and his children, now around ages 9, 10, and 11, in December 2021 had long puzzled investigators. They focused their search on the thickly forested area near the isolated North Island rural settlement of Marokopa, their believed hiding place. Despite staying near Marokopa, credible sightings of the family were infrequent.
While the deceased man has not been formally identified, authorities suspect he was indeed Phillips.
A police officer suffered critical injuries after being shot in the head during an encounter with Phillips, who had robbed an agricultural supplies store earlier that day, Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers revealed in Hamilton. The child present with Phillips at the robbery scene was taken into custody.
The officer is currently undergoing surgery and is expected to survive, although he was hit multiple times with a high-powered rifle and may require additional surgeries.
Initially, Phillips' other two children's whereabouts were unknown, raising serious concerns for their safety. However, approximately 13 hours after Phillips' demise, Rogers announced that the children were found unaccompanied at a remote campsite within the rugged forest. The child in custody cooperated with authorities, helping to pinpoint the search area.
The agricultural supplies store targeted was located in the same expansive farming region of Waikato, south of Auckland, near the settlement of about 40 residents from which the family disappeared. The case has captivated New Zealand, with authorities frequently appealing for information, albeit unsuccessfully.
Phillips had been spotted on surveillance footage in the area engaging in criminal activities. He was wanted for an armed bank robbery in May 2023, where he reportedly shot at a civilian while on the run with one of his children.
Authorities suspected Phillips received assistance in hiding his family. Detective Senior Sgt. Andrew Saunders noted Phillips lacked legal custody rights. The children hadn’t accessed formal education or healthcare since their disappearance, and some residents expressed support for Phillips. An NZ$80,000 reward for information about the family’s location went unpaid.
This was not the first instance of Phillips making headlines after vanishing with his children. In September 2021, they disappeared, prompting a three-week land and sea search after his truck was discovered abandoned on a beach.
The search was initially called off when it was believed the family might have perished, only for them to re-emerge from the forest. Phillips faced charges for wasting police resources and was scheduled to appear in court in January 2022. However, weeks before the court date, he vanished with his children once more.
Phillips informed family members he was taking the children on another trip, leading to no immediate search efforts. The search efforts resumed after several sightings in 2023 within the original region of disappearance. Surveillance footage captured Phillips committing a grocery store robbery in August of the current year, again with one of his children accompanying him.
The children’s mother expressed her relief, stating to Radio New Zealand that she was “deeply relieved” that the “ordeal” for her children had ended. “They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” she stated. She is identified in New Zealand media solely by her first name, Cat.
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