The Herald understands the officer who shot Tom Phillips was part of a specialist police unit that was introduced after the death of constable Matthew Hunt.
The police officer who shot and killed Tom Phillips after the fugitive opened fire on his colleague was a member of the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) and part of a specialist unit introduced nationally two years ago to respond to an increase in gun crime.
Sources have told the Herald the AOS officer and a dog handler were in the second police vehicle that arrived at the Te Anga Rd scene near Waitomo on September 8.
The two-member team that responded in the second patrol car was a Tactical Dog Team or TDT – part of a specialist unit introduced with other frontline safety improvements following the murder of constable Matthew Hunt during a traffic stop in Auckland’s Massey in 2020.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said last week the second police unit was on the scene “immediately” after Phillips fired multiple shots at the first officer – a lone local constable who had used road spikes to disable Phillips’ quad bike.
The constable was shot in the head and shoulder during the incident with sources saying he was “millimetres from death” and was probably saved by his car’s windscreen which deflected the gunfire.
Rogers wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the second unit that responded but told the Herald the staff involved would receive professional support.
“Officers involved in critical incidents such as fatal shootings are provided with leave and wrap around support, such as counselling and a psychological assessment prior to returning to work. Counselling is also offered to the officer’s family,” she said.
Former police officer Lance Burdett said the specialist unit that arrived in the dark where Phillips was armed and a colleague had been shot would have faced a dynamic and fast-moving situation.
He said assessments and decisions would have been made in a “split second” and it’s “nothing like the movies”.
“Adrenaline and cortisol surges through [your body] and gives you tunnel vision. You can see the intensity of the situation. Everything becomes quite vivid. This is a good thing, not a bad thing,” he said.
“No police officer goes to work to take a life”
Burdett, who spent 22 years as the police’s lead crisis negotiator, said the officer who killed Phillips would have relied heavily on his training.
He described AOS training as an “extreme” qualification course which is one of the most physically and psychologically demanding courses you can do in the police.
Phillips’ 12-year-old daughter Jayda was with him when his quad bike ditched into the bank and he started shooting at police.
While it’s not clear where exactly Jayda was when shots started ringing out across the valley, Burdett says her presence on the scene would have formed part of the officer’s assessment before he returned fire, killing Phillips.
“I can only applaud the officer for the way this has played out”, he said.
Burdett said after the officer shot Phillips, protocol would mean he’d have to surrender his firearm and undertake formal interviews.
“No police officer goes to work to take a life,” he said.
He said it will take time for the officer who killed Phillips to process what happened and he’d receive professional support.
When police discharge a firearm, they have to follow a set of engagement rules known as fire orders 61.
Those rules stipulate scenarios where using a firearm may be justified which includes if an officer fears death or grievous bodily harm to themselves or others and cannot protect themselves or others in a less violent manner.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has described Phillips as a “motivated offender” who intended to kill on the day he engaged police in the shootout on Te Anga Rd.
A critical incident review and Independent Police Conduct Authority investigation are underway into the events on September 8, and it’s understood the terms of reference for an all-of-government inquiry into the handling of the Phillips case are also being drawn up.
This wider inquiry – first signalled by Prime Minister Chrisopher Luxon – will examine how all agencies including police and Oranga Tamariki responded over the four-year period Phillips and his children were missing.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.