The New Zealand Police said on Monday that they had fatally shot a man who had evaded the authorities for nearly four years after disappearing into the wilderness with his three children.
The police fired on the man, Tom Phillips, in a rural area of New Zealand’s North Island on Monday after he shot an officer in the head, the authorities said. The police later found his three children — aged 9, 10, and 12 — safe and unharmed.
Mr. Phillips, 38, disappeared into the wilderness with his children in December 2021 and does not have legal custody of them, according to the New Zealand Police.
The agency’s acting deputy commissioner, Jill Rogers, said at a news conference that officers had intercepted Mr. Phillips with one of his children after receiving reports of a burglary at a farm supply store in rural Waikato early Monday morning.
One of his children was taken into custody after the shooting and was assisting the police, Ms. Rogers said at the news conference. The police later said they had located the other two children at a remote campsite.
Over the years, Mr. Phillips and his children managed to evade large-scale land and sea searches, and the police believed they were living off the grid.
The police said Mr. Phillips carried out a handful of robberies and break-ins, sometimes accompanied by one of his children. He faces several charges, including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
On Monday, Mr. Phillips and one of his children were driving an all-terrain vehicle when they were intercepted, Ms. Rogers said. The police had put down spikes at an intersection they thought he was likely to pass.
After the vehicle ran over the spikes and came to a stop, Mr. Phillips used a high-powered rifle to shoot the first officer who approached, striking the officer in the head, Ms. Rogers said. More police then arrived at the scene and shot at Mr. Phillips, killing him.
The officer suffered serious wounds but was expected to survive, Ms. Rogers said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.