Overview

• Officers responding to an armed break-in in Piopio pursued Tom Phillips, who opened fire; police shot him after a patrol officer was struck in the head and rushed for emergency surgery.
• One child was found at the scene unharmed, and two more were located later in a remote bush camp; all three are now in the care of Oranga Tamariki.
• Police released photos of a concealed camp in Waitomo bush roughly two kilometres from the shooting site and said multiple firearms and ammunition were seized.
• Investigators are conducting forensic work at the sites and are examining how the family lived in the wilderness for years and whether others assisted them.
• Phillips abducted his three children in December 2021 during a custody dispute and evaded capture despite public appeals and sightings, including a widely shared 2024 hunter photo and recent surveillance linking him to thefts.