A New Zealand man who was on the run with his three children for almost four years in the wilderness is believed to have been shot dead, police have told the media
The man believed to be Tom Phillips was shot by police who were responding to an armed robbery in western Waikato early on Monday morning
One of his children was with him at the time when the fatal shootout took place but the child is unharmed, police say
Officers are searching for the other two kids, and their mother says she’s “deeply relieved”
Phillips’ death comes a month after his family directly appealed to him to come home
The case has gripped the attention of New Zealand for years. Last year, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Phillips over his suspected involvement in a bank robbery in a small town on the North Island
