A fugitive father killed in a shootout with New Zealand police after nearly four years on the run with his children maintained a bushland hideout stocked with firearms and ammunition, the force said Tuesday.

Tom Phillips’ days as a fugitive came to a bloody end this week when he was killed in a police shootout in the rolling hill country of the North Island’s Waikato region.

His three kids were all safely recovered.

Police detailed on Tuesday their time in the bush and how they were able to stay undetected for so long.

“Phillips and his children have been very mobile and moved frequently,” New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said.

The family’s mobility made it a “challenge” for authorities to find them, he explained.

Authorities also took great caution in dealing with Ph

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