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A member of the police's media team told a documentary crew about the incident that led to Tom Phillips death at least an hour before family were notified, RNZ can reveal.
Police have apologised in person to the family and said the decision was "ill-advised".
Phillips died following a shootout with police after they were called to reports of a burglary in September 2025.
It was earlier revealed a film crew from Dunedin-founded NHNZ Productions had been following the hunt for fugitive Phillips and his children for more than a year, gaining exclusive access to the investigation.
In response to an Official Information Act (OIA) request from Mata police refused to say when the Phillips family and the mother of the children were notified about the incident.
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