Their worst fears were realised earlier this month when a constable tracking Phillips, who’d been spotted breaking into a farm supplies store in Piopio, was ambushed on a rural road.
After his quad bike ran over road spikes set by the constable known as Officer A, Phillips fired at least four rounds with a .308 calibre rifle at close range.
The firearm is often used by deer hunters because of its range and power.
Sources told the Herald that the officer’s life was probably saved by the laminated windscreen of his police vehicle, which changed the trajectory of the shots fired through the glass.
Officer A suffered a glancing blow to his head from one bullet, which caused a severe injury to his skull, while a second shot caused significant damage to his right shoulder.
Phillips was shot and killed shortly after by a second police officer, a member of the Armed Offenders Squad, who arrived as back-up.
Staff from the police Eagle helicopter landed and were able to give first aid to their injured colleague, before he was transferred to Waikato Hospital for the first of many surgeries.
Two other firearms were found at the scene of the shooting.
However, the firepower available to Phillips was far greater than previously suspected.
The police have now confirmed to the Herald that Phillips had access to at least eight firearms while on the run.
“Police recovered three firearms from the critical incident scene. A further five firearms were located at the two bush sites,” acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said.
“All have been secured as evidence for further examination.”
Rogers said the police were unable to answer specific questions about the type of firearms in the possession of Phillips because of suppression orders, injunctions and ongoing investigations.
With the three children now found and in the care of Oranga Tamariki, the focus of police will now shift to piecing together the puzzle of how Phillips was able to evade capture for so long.
One phase of the investigation will almost certainly seek to identify how Phillips was able to acquire the stockpile of eight firearms.
It’s possible he was able to purchase them legally before going on the run in December 2021, as his firearms licence was not revoked until the following month.
The police will also investigate whether the firearms were loaned to Phillips by sympathetic supporters, or purchased on his behalf.
Any investigation will seek to match serial numbers of the firearms recovered from Phillips with sales records, as well as reports of any burglaries of firearms.
It could prove difficult to trace the firearms, however.
Until the recent establishment of the national register in 2023, the sale of firearms were not registered against individual licence holders.
And while gun retailers were required to keep sales records, private sellers were not, although this loophole in the Arms Act has now been closed.
A wider all-of-government inquiry is expected to examine how all agencies including police and Oranga Tamariki responded over the four-year period Phillips and his children were missing.
Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster’s Paradise and Underworld.