NZ dad shot by police after dramatic standoff, ending a four-year manhunt and raising urgent questions about his missing children. Image credit: Ricky Wilson / AP
(ThepostNews) – NZ dad shot by police after spending nearly four years hiding with his three children in remote countryside, bringing an extraordinary manhunt to a dramatic conclusion. The case had puzzled investigators and captured national attention as authorities struggled to track the family’s movements.
The family first disappeared in December 2021, vanishing from their rural home in Marokopa, a tiny settlement on New Zealand’s North Island. For years, officers searched the dense bushland, convinced the group had never strayed far. Still, confirmed sightings were scarce, and their whereabouts remained a mystery.
Events escalated when the NZ dad shot by police was confronted after robbing a farm supply store early Monday morning. During the clash, a police officer was struck in the head and critically injured. One child who had been with him at the time was taken into custody, while the locations of the other two children remain unknown, raising deep concern for their welfare.
NZ Dad Shot by Police After Farm Store Robbery
The officer was rushed to hospital, where doctors performed urgent surgery. More operations are expected in the days ahead. Meanwhile, authorities say the child now in protective custody is cooperating with investigators.
This latest incident unfolded in Waikato, a large farming region south of Auckland. Despite numerous appeals for public help, the search for Phillips and his children had previously produced little progress. Surveillance footage occasionally placed him in the area, often tied to criminal activity. In May 2023, for example, he was allegedly involved in an armed bank robbery while accompanied by one of his children. Police had long feared for the children’s safety, noting they lacked both medical care and schooling since 2021.
Authorities also believed he received help to remain hidden, with some locals even showing sympathy toward his plight. Last year, a reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars was offered for information, along with the possibility of immunity from prosecution, but no leads materialized.
The disappearance itself was not the first of its kind. In September 2021, hen and the children went missing for weeks after his vehicle was found abandoned on a rugged beach. Although initially presumed dead, they later reemerged from nearby forest, claiming they had been camping. He was charged with wasting police time and was expected in court, but vanished again before the hearing.
At one point, speculation arose that the family may have relocated under new identities, but sightings in 2023 confirmed they had never truly left the Waikato region. The final known footage before Monday’s confrontation showed him robbing a grocery store in August with one child by his side.
NZ Dad Shot by Police Sparks Urgent Search for Children
Now, with the NZ dad shot by police and one child safely in custody, attention turns to locating the two missing children. Their mother expressed relief that her children’s ordeal may finally be ending and shared hope of reuniting with them soon.
The saga of the NZ dad shot by police has left the nation both shocked and fascinated, closing a turbulent chapter while opening another: the urgent search for the two children still unaccounted for.
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