Fugitive father on run with 3 kids in wilderness for 4 years shot dead during shootout with New Zealand cops

A father who has been on the run with his three young children through New Zealand’s remote wilderness for the past four years was shot dead Monday in a shootout with cops during an attempted burglary at a supply store.

Tom Phillips disappeared into the Waikato wilderness with his children, Ember, now 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, just before Christmas 2021 after a fight with their mother, who had sole custody.

Tom Phillips, who has been on the run with his three children since 2021, was shot and killed
by New Zealand police Monday. NZ Police

Nobody even knew if the three children were alive until they were spotted by a group of pig hunters in October 2024. At the time, they were seen wearing

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