New Zealand fugitive father on the run with children shot dead by police

8/9/2025 13:10

A New Zealand father who had been on the run with his three children for nearly four years was shot dead by police on Monday after robbing a farm supply store, police said.



Tom Phillips disappeared with his three children, now aged 9, 10, and 12, in late 2021 in a case that has made national headlines over his ability to evade arrest.



A police officer was shot and seriously injured in the attempt to arrest Phillips, New Zealand police acting deputy commissioner Jill Rogers said at a press conference.



Police were alerted to a robbery at the store in a small rural town in the region of Waikato around 2:30 a.m. and laid spikes on the road to stop the suspects - Phillips and one of his children - were expected to take.



Phillips' motorbike hit the spikes and the first officer at the scene was "confronted by gunfire at close range," Rogers said.



"Our officer has been struck in the head. He's immediately fallen to the ground and taken cover."



She said a second police officer then arrived and Phillips was shot, and despite efforts to save him died at the scene.



Police said one of his children is now with authorities, but they are seeking to locate the other children.