Dramatic audio highlights police closing in on fugitive Tom Phillips early on Monday morning, and the moment an officer reported shots had been fired.
About 2.30am on Monday morning police received a call from a Piopio resident saying they believed they were witnessing a burglary in action at PGG Wrightson.
The burglary involved two people on a quad bike dressed in farm clothing and wearing headlamps, which police believed was Phillips and one of his children.
Police responded, eventually laying road spikes to the north on Te Anga Rd, near the intersection of Waipuna Rd.
In the recording obtained by Stuff, an officer can be heard sharing details over his police radio of the moment the quad bike was spiked, and the following fatal confrontation with Phillips.
The first part of the audio he is heard saying “over spikes, over spikes”.
Police are now hunting for the fugitive father’s accomplices. (Source: 1News)
He gives the location of the bike, which had turned onto Te Anga Rd and was heading “towards Marokopa”.
“What direction comms?” was heard.
“Over spikes, toward Marokopa,” they reiterate.
The officer is then informed of other police vehicles arriving.
He then describes seeing “one on the bike, we’ve got two flat front tyres”.
He then corrects himself: “Sorry, two on the bike.”
The officer asks how far away the other vehicles are, before urgently letting them know the bike had “gone off the road”.
The next message transmitted with urgency said: “Shots fired, shots fired.”
‘Sensitive operational details’
Police asked media to act responsibly following the release of the communications today.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said: “The material contains very sensitive operational details that are the subject of a number of inquiries and investigations.”
An officer remains in hospital in Hamilton after being shot with a “high-powered rifle” at close range as he got out of his car.
Phillips was fatally shot by another officer. The child who was with him was unharmed in the confrontation.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said there was “absolutely no doubt” that Phillips’ intention was to kill the officer, whom he had visited in hospital earlier this week.
“He wants to be his best, but it will take a wee bit of time for him to recover to that point again, but we’re going to help him in that,” Chambers told 1News.