A New Zealand man who hid in the wilderness for nearly four years with his three children was shot dead by police Monday after an attempted burglary.
Thomas Phillips, 37, vanished with his children: Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 in December 2021 following a custody dispute.
Police said officers were called to a farm supply store in Piopio around 2:30 a.m. Monday following a break-in. A four wheeled farm bike carrying two suspects fled but was stopped with road spikes about 30 kilometers away.
As an officer approached, he was shot in the head at close range with a high-powered rifle. Another officer returned fire, killing Phillips. The wounded officer was flown to Waikato Hospital with serious injuries.
Police determined that the other person on the quad bike was one of Phillips’ children.
After a large-scale helicopter-assisted search, the remaining two children were found alone at a remote campsite in dense bush near the small rural town of Marokopa. All three children are safe and undergoing medical checks.
Their mother, Cat, said she was “deeply relieved” that her children had been found and looked forward to bringing them home after nearly four years.
