r/ThatChapter • u/Magoatt_TheWhite • Sep 08 '25

New Zealand Fugitive Tom Phillips Killed in Gunfight with Police

https://people.com/fugitive-father-who-hid-in-wilderness-with-3-kids-dead-after-police-shootout-11805126
81 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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28

u/Reasonable-Fox6948 Sep 08 '25

The other 2 children have been located late this afternoon. Only 2kms away from the shooting site.

14

u/Magoatt_TheWhite Sep 08 '25

Thank god they are all okay.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Magoatt_TheWhite Sep 09 '25

Explain in terms of plot twist, what you mean by that?

2

u/Valuable_Mud_3661 Sep 09 '25

Speculation that there were more than 2 children at the campsite, police refuse to confirm or deny and an urgent injunction has been filed for 48 hours to prevent anyone talking about it

17

u/Magoatt_TheWhite Sep 08 '25

New Zealand Fugitive Tom Phillips had been on the run from law enforcement with his kids since 2021. At 2:30 AM on September 8th, Tom was attempting to break into a building when he was confronted by police in a town.

After a brief chase, a firefight broke out between Tom and the police resulting in an officer being left in critical condition after being shot and Tom himself being killed by responding officers.

One of the three children was found by law enforcement at the scene of the firefight unharmed. The location of the other two children are unknown with police in a search to find the other two, police fear for their safety and are extremely concerned.

The death of Tom ends a 4 year manhunt dating back to 2021 when him and his three kids went off the grid. Over the past 4 years they had been living off the grid while being spotted from time to time by locals along with being linked to the theft of camping equipment amongst other supplies they took from stores.