Independent Police Conduct Authority finds police justified in shooting fugitive Tom Phillips
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has ruled that police were justified in the fatal shooting of fugitive Tom Phillips. The report concluded that officers acted in self-defense after Phillips shot an officer during a confrontation in Piopio.
Why it matters
This ruling provides closure to a high-profile criminal case and addresses public concerns regarding police use of lethal force.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found the police were justified in shooting dead the fugitive Tom Phillips.
Phillips had been on the run for almost four years when he was spotted trying to break into a warehouse in the small Waikato town of Piopio in the early hours of 8 September last year.
He was chased by police officers who spiked his quad bike.
Phillips pointed a rifle at one of the officers and shot him twice, leaving him with head injuries.
Another officer described hearing a radio broadcast from his colleague who had serious head wounds.
"I remember the tone of his voice had significantly changed from his previous transmissions which were calm. This transmission was very panicked and sounded like he was in a struggle and had been seriously hurt. The transmission was very short, I could not make out the words."
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