ISTANBUL

A New Zealand man who had been on the run with his three children for almost four years was shot and killed by police early Monday, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald.

The man, believed to be Tom Phillips, was killed after officers responded to an armed burglary at a farm supplies store in the rural town of Piopio in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island. One of his children was with him at the time and was unharmed, while two other children remain missing, police said.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers confirmed Phillips’ death and said police would provide additional details later Monday.

According to the Herald, Phillips was found on a quad bike with one of the children following the burglary. During the standoff, he allegedly shot a police officer in the head. The officer is hospitalized and expected to recover.

He was subsequently shot and killed by a second officer.

Phillips vanished from the family farm in the coastal town of Marokopa in December 2021 with his three children, who were then ages 8, 7 and 5.

New Zealand Police believe that the children were taken by their father to a location somewhere in western Waikato after a dispute with their mother and did not have legal custody.

Authorities say Phillips committed multiple burglaries while living in hiding.

The case captured national attention in New Zealand. Surveillance footage recently showed Phillips and one child during a grocery store break-in. Phillips’ family had publicly appealed for his return.

The children’s mother said Monday that they had been “dearly missed every day for nearly four years” and she looked forward to welcoming them home “with love and care,” according to the Herald.