"A fugitive father who had been hiding in New Zealand's rugged wilderness with his three children for nearly four years has been shot dead by police investigating an armed burglary, police said on Monday. The whereabouts of Tom Phillips has attracted headlines around the world since just before Christmas 2021, when he fled into the Waikato wilderness with his children Ember, now 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, following a custody dispute with their mother."
"Police deputy commissioner Jill Rogers said: This has been a deeply traumatic incident this morning for those involved. It has been confronting and challenging in a small, rural, isolated location. Prime minister Christopher Luxon said the morning's events were sad and absolutely tragic. This is not what anybody wanted to happen today and I think that is ... a consistent feeling from from everybody across New Zealand, he told media on Monday afternoon."
Police shot dead a fugitive who had been living in the Waikato wilderness with his three children for nearly four years after officers responded to an armed burglary. Tom Phillips fled with Ember (9), Maverick (10) and Jayda (12) in late 2021 following a custody dispute. Officers pursuing two suspects on a quad bike came under fire from a high-powered rifle and returned fire, killing the shooter believed to be Phillips pending formal identification. Authorities are urgently searching for the children, with two thought to remain in freezing wilderness conditions. Officials described the incident as deeply traumatic and tragic.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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