Piopio: A New Zealand man who had been living in hiding with his three children for almost four years has been shot dead in a police shooting.
Tom Phillips, who disappeared with his children in December 2021 following a custody dispute with his former partner, was shot dead after an armed confrontation with police in the rural town of Piopio.
Authorities said Phillips fired ‘multiple shots’ at the first officer to arrive at the scene of a reported burglary, leaving the officer seriously injured. Police returned fire, killing Phillips.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said one of Phillips’s children was with him during the incident but was not harmed. Efforts are now underway to locate his two other children as soon as possible.
Rogers stated that, “Following the incident, we have been in contact with Phillips’s family and we will be working to provide them with all available support.”
The children’s mother, Cat, said in a statement to Radio New Zealand that she was ‘deeply relieved’ for her children. Cat remarked that, “They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care.”
Phillips’s disappearance from the remote Waikato community of Marokopa in 2021 captured national attention and made international headlines. Despite numerous sightings and appeals from his family, Phillips who was facing charges including aggravated robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm managed to evade police for years.
Authorities had released new security footage appearing to show Phillips and one of his children breaking into a rural store. Police continue their search for his two missing children.
MOST READ | Red Sea cable cuts disrupt internet in Middle East and South Asia
