A man has been shot dead and a police officer injured in New Zealand’s Waikato region, close to the area where fugitive father Tom Phillips has been hiding with his three children for four years.
The incident unfolded in Waitomo in the early hours of Monday morning after officers responded to reports of a burglary. Police said there was a confrontation, during which an officer was shot. Another officer then opened fire, killing the suspect.
A second person was taken into custody. The injured officer was taken to hospital in a serious condition but was reported to be conscious and speaking, according to Police Commissioner Richard Chambers.
Otorohanga mayor Max Baxter said he was “getting the feeling” the incident might be related to the search for Phillips, though police have not confirmed any link.
Phillips vanished from the rural town of Marokopa in December 2021 with his three children, Jayda, now 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 after a custody dispute with their mother. They are believed to have lived in the wilderness since then, evading multiple police operations and a NZ$80,000 reward for information.
There have been several reported sightings of Phillips and his children, most recently in February when four people in camouflage were spotted near State Highway 4, south of Te Kūiti.
The area remains cordoned off as police continue their investigation.