Police probe how Tom Phillips evaded capture for 4 years before fatal shooting
Police are trying to piece together how Tom Phillips managed to evade capture for almost four years.
The father of three was shot and killed by police in Waikato after he had shot a police officer.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said a number of investigations are under way into the incident, including one into the movements of Phillips.
“Investigation staff are going over the areas where the family had been staying, and have been speaking with farmers, locals and workers in the area. That work is to help us build an accurate picture of the movements of Tom Phillips and the children.”
Investigations are also ongoing into whether he received help from people to acquire firearms and different forms of transport.
Police said those who assisted the runaway father over the past four years would be dealt with accordingly.
Despite evading capture for so long, Phillips had been spotted several times since he disappeared from his family farm.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told the media the police likely came close to Phillips and his children at points.
“Over the last four years, we have covered this terrain, this region a lot.
“It’s highly likely that we’ve been very, very close,” Chambers said.
Phillips and his children first went missing in September 2021 for three weeks and police launched an extensive search operation, including using a plane, helicopter and heat-detecting drones, after his Toyota Hilux was found on Kiritehere beach.
Phillips returned home at the end of that month and revealed he and the children had been living in dense bush nearby.
Police charged him with causing wasteful deployment of personnel and resources and a court date of January 12, 2022, was set after delays caused by Covid restrictions.
Phillips and his children disappeared again on December 12, 2021, but police did not launch a search and rescue operation.
January 2022
Police issued an official warrant for Phillips’ arrest after he failed to appear for his court appearance at Te Kūiti District Court on January 12.
His ute was found by police near the end of the month on Mangatoa Rd near the Mangatoa track, but there was no sign of Phillips or his children.
February 2022
On February 9, Phillips returned to his family home alone at night and gathered supplies.
This would be the last time he was seen for more than a year.
May 2023
Phillips allegedly took part in a bank robbery with an accomplice in Te Kūiti that targeted an ANZ branch on Rora St.
A nearby supermarket worker was also shot at when they confronted the robbers.
The pair fled the scene on a black, farm-style motorcycle, according to police.
August 2023
Phillips was spotted at least three times in August including at Pokoro and at Bunnings Warehouses in Melville and Te Rapa.
An altercation also happened between Phillips and another man in Kawhia after the man recognised him.
November 2023
The next supposed sighting of Phillips happened on November 3, 2023, when CCTV appeared to show him and one of his children breaking into Piopio superette.
Police also believed he had stolen a red quad bike from a Piopio residence.
October 2024
There were no sightings of Phillips and his children for nearly a year until pig hunters stumbled across the group on October 3, 2024, in bushland near Marokopa.
August 2025
The final alleged sighting of Phillips before his death came on August 27, when CCTV showed footage of him breaking into the Piopio superette again, supposedly with one of his children.
September 2025
Phillips and one of his children broke into a farm supplies store in Piopio and were caught on a quadbike on the intersection of Waipuna and Te Anga Rds.
After a shootout with police, Phillips was killed and one of his children was found at the scene.
His two other children were then found at a bush campsite about 2km from the scene of the shooting.
Pictures released by police appear to show two quadbikes at the site wrapped in blankets.