Children found safe as New Zealand police end nearly 4-year manhunt, shoot dead fugitive father
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Children found safe as New Zealand police end nearly 4-year manhunt, shoot dead fugitive father")
Representational Image. Photograph: (Unsplash/X)
Thomas Phillips faced charges over an armed bank robbery committed in May 2023 while fleeing with one of his children, during which he allegedly fired at a civilian.
A man hiding with his three children in New Zealand's wilderness for almost four years is believed to have been killed following an armed confrontation with police. Officials reported that Thomas Phillips, who disappeared with his two daughters and son in December 2021, is believed to be aged 9, 10 and 12. Phillips, along with his two daughters and son, had been evading capture in a remote part of the North Island, according to a report on Sky News.
New Zealand's acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers said on Monday that the formal identification is likely to take place. "We believe him to be Tom Phillips," he said. Meanwhile, Phillips' relatives confirmed his death to local news outlets.
Why was Phillips shot dead?
Jill Rogers added that a police officer was shot in the head and critically injured amid the clash with Phillips after he was suspected of having robbed a shop in the Waikato region on Monday morning. Later, Phillips was shot dead after a second police officer arrived and became involved in the escalation.
"We hold serious concerns for those children, and our focus is on finding them. This must come to a conclusion now," Rogers said. He also added that temperatures would fall to freezing in the area within hours. "We have children that we believe are unaccompanied in the bush, and it's our priority to locate them this evening," Rogers added.
Meanwhile, New Zealand police said Monday they had found the missing children of a fugitive father.
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“To know the children are safe, and now receiving care after nearly four years, is an absolute relief,” Rogers also said, AFP reported.
He faced charges over an armed bank robbery committed in May 2023 while fleeing with one of his children, during which he allegedly fired at a civilian. Reports also indicate that Phillips did not hold lawful custody of his children.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon responded that it is “sad and absolutely tragic”. “This is not what anybody wanted to happen today, and I think that is … a consistent feeling from everybody across New Zealand,” he told the media on Monday afternoon.
