Tom Phillips, a father who had been on the run with his three children in New Zealand since late 2021, was shot and killed by police during a shoot-out. Authorities stated the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on a Monday morning, following a reported robbery at a commercial property in Piopio, a small northern New Zealand town. Officers spotted Phillips and one of his children riding a quad bike and attempted to apprehend them, leading to a pursuit. When the quad bike hit spikes laid by the police, it veered off-road.
Upon reaching the scene, police were met with gunfire, resulting in a serious injury to one officer. Subsequent police engagement led to Phillips being shot and pronounced dead at the scene. While his body had not been formally identified initially, authorities were confident it was Phillips. The other two children were later found unharmed at a remote campsite, with the child he was with providing important information for their recovery.
Phillips had been elusive since failing to appear in court in 2022 and was suspected of having taken his children after losing legal custody. He was previously known to have survival skills that aided him in New Zealand’s challenging bush terrain. Reports indicate there had been multiple sightings of Phillips and his children, often associated with break-ins at local stores, raising questions about how they sustained themselves.
In 2022, a warrant was issued for Phillips’s arrest in relation to a bank robbery, raising further speculation about potential assistance from the local community. Following Phillips’s death, concerns have been expressed regarding the emotional impact on the children, whose mother has been informed of their safety but not the details of their father’s death. New Zealand’s Prime Minister characterized the events as tragic, reflecting a broader sentiment across the country.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75qlerp2e5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss