New Zealand police find two missing children after fugitive father shot dead following four years on the run
New Zealand police have found the two missing children of a fugitive who was killed this morning after being on the run for almost four years.
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Father-of-three Tom Phillips was fatally shot by officers responding to an armed robbery at a farms supplies shop in the town of Piopio, western Waikato, early on Monday.
Deputy police commissioner Jill Rogers said the officer who found Phillips was left critically injured after being shot in the head during a confrontation with the wanted man.
A second officer then arrived and shot Phillips, who died at the scene.
A search operation was immediately launched by police after only one of Phillips' children was found with him.
The child, who was unharmed, assisted police in near-freezing temperatures to locate their siblings at a remote campsite.
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Phillips and his children – Ember, nine, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12 – fled their family home in the small town of Marokopa in December 2021.
Their disappearance had gripped New Zealanders for years, and many high-profile figures, including Prime Minister Chris Luxon, had expressed concern for the children's safety.
While on the run, he was wanted for an armed robbery in May 2023, in which he reportedly shot at a member of the public while accompanied by one of his children.
In August, Phillips' own family had directly appealed to him to come home after he was recently spotted on CCTV with a child during a grocery store break-in.
His relatives confirmed his death to local news outlets.
The children's mother, referred to as Cat, said in a statement to state-owned Radio New Zealand: "They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care."