New Zealand fugitive daddy killed by the police

A father who was on the run with his three children in the wilderness of New Zealand for almost four years has been shot by the police.

Tom Phillips, who disappeared with his children at the end of 2021, had escaped capture despite national research and several observations over the years.

The case had seized the country and remains one of the most sustainable mysteries in New Zealand.

Phillips was killed during a shooting around 02:30 am Monday (2:30 p.m. GMT on Sunday) in Piopio, a small town in northern New Zealand, police announced.

The police responded to a flight reported in a commercial property when Phillips and one of his children were seen on a quad bicycle.

The police then continued before putting road tips to stop them. The bike hit the tips and came out of the road.

When the police reached the vehicle, they encountered shots, the assistant commissioner for the police, Jill Rogers, told journalists.

The first participating officer on the scene was shot in the head and remains in serious condition, the police said.

A second unit of patrol then hired Phillips, which was shot down and died on the scene. Although the body was not officially identified at the time of the announcement, the police were convinced that they were Phillips.

The other two children were found later during the day in a campsite remote in a dense bush. The three children are unharmed, said Rogers.

The child with whom he was, who was not identified, had provided “crucial” information which helped them to locate the other two children of Phillips later in the day.

It was not clear if the children had been informed of the death of their father.

The police informed their mother and the parents of Phillips that the children are safe, although they refuse to comment who will provide current care.

The mother of children, known only as Cat, told RNZ local media that she was “deeply relieved” that “this event was over” after missing her children a lot “every day for almost four years”. But, she continued: “We are saddened by the way the events took place today.”

The authorities said that Phillips had escaped capture since he had not appeared before the court in 2022.

Before disappearing, Phillips and his children lived in Marokopa, a small rural town in the Waikato region. Phillips, which would take place in the late 1930s of this year, had been described as an experienced hunter and a bushman.

Police think he took his children after losing custody on their part.

Marokopa is an area surrounded by a very hard landscape, a scanning coast, dense bush and wooded land with a network of caves covering many kilometers.

Residents know Phillips as a bushman with survival skills that would have prepared him to build shelters and eat food in the desert.

However, there were signs that he desperately needed resources. Since 2023, there have been observations of Phillips and his children to numerous breakups in equipment and grocery stores.

Last October, a group of adolescents spotted them in the bush and filmed the meeting. In the video, Phillips and the children wore camouflaged clothes and each wore their own packs.

The teenagers had briefly spoken to one of the children, asking if someone knew they were there. The child had replied “only you” and continued to walk, said 1news of New Zealand.

Last year, a mandate mandate was issued for the arrest of Phillips for its presumed involvement in a bank flight in Te Kuiti, a small town on the northern island.

Police said he had an accomplice at the alleged incident.

In fact, over the years, many have wondered if Phillips has obtained help from the united community of Marokopa, a city where less than 100 people lived, and the question remains unanswered.

The death of Phillips comes less than a month after his family directly called upon him to go home.

In an interview with the local website, his sister Rozzi said that the family had been “ready to help (Phillips) travel what you need to walk.”

“I really want to see you and the children and be part of your life,” she said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon described the turn of events as “sad and absolutely tragic”.

“This is not what anyone who wanted to happen today. I think it is a coherent feeling of everyone in New Zealand,” he said in a weekly briefing on Monday.

Other New Zealanders are also concerned about the way in which the death of Phillips would affect the well-being of his children.

Marlene McISAAC, a resident of the Waitomo district, says that she wanted there to be “a happier end”. “For children, you know? The children will be devastated,” she told 1news.