Police in New Zealand have shot and killed a man who had been on the run with his three children for four years.
One of the children was present at the scene and has been taken into police custody, while the search for the other two continues.
The man exchanged fire with police after they were called to the scene of an alleged attempted robbery at a shop overnight.
An officer was critically injured at the scene.
Who is Tom Phillips?
Tom Phillips disappeared into the wilderness on New Zealand’s North Island with his children in December 2021.
The children, then aged eight, six, and five, were believed to have been taken to Western Waikato in New Zealand’s North Island.
Phillips, who did not have legal custody, was thought to be raising the children in complete isolation.
Police had previously offered an $NZ80,000 ($AU72,000) reward for any information leading to his arrest.
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Shot dead
At around 2:30am, police responded to reports of a break-in at a shop in the rural town of Piopio in the north-west of the North Island.
Officers then intercepted a quad bike, which Phillips was driving with one of his children.
Police said Phillips opened fire, shooting one officer in the head, before they fatally shot him. He died at the scene.
The injured officer remains in hospital in a critical condition.
At a media conference, Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers described the incident as “the outcome that nobody wanted.”
The children’s mother told local media that while she is “saddened by how events unfolded today,” she is relieved it has finally come to an end.
“They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” she said.
