Overview

• Police say a reported shop theft in Waikato led officers to a quad, which was stopped with a spike strip before a second patrol engaged and shots were fired.
• Tom Phillips was fatally shot during the confrontation, and a police officer was grievously wounded with gunshot injuries to the head and shoulder.
• One child with Phillips at the time was unharmed and taken into care, and the two other children were located later at an isolated bush campsite near Waitomo.
• Officers found two red quads, firearms and ammunition at the campsite, and police say the family moved often and sheltered in the bush during the years-long search.
• Authorities have opened inquiries into the shooting and potential community assistance to the fugitives, noting earlier restraint due to child-safety concerns and alleging offences including aggravated theft and illegal firearms possession.