Police Minister Mark Mitchell says officers faced a difficult and complex situation bringing an end to Tom Phillips's time on the run. 

He was shot dead by Police in the early hours of yesterday on a rural Waikato road following a burglary. 

An injured officer, who was shot multiple times, remains in Waikato Hospital and is facing a number of surgeries. 

One of his three children was with Phillips, the remaining two were found yesterday afternoon at a campsite around two kilometres from where Phillips died. 

Mitchell told Mike Hosking it's almost the worst-case scenario for Police. 

He says that although it was an absolute tragedy, safely recovering the three children is a good thing. 

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