The family of Tom Phillips are "absolutely gutted" the Marokopa man shot a police officer and hope the officer is able to make a full recovery, a spokesperson says.
"They're just an innocent person doing their job."
The spokesperson said the focus now is on the wellbeing of Phillips' children.
Tom Phillips died following a shootout with police after they were called to reports of a burglary in the early hours of Monday. A police officer was shot multiple times during the shootout and remains in hospital with significant injuries which police have described as "survivable".
One of Phillips' children, who was with him at the time, then began assisting police and said there were firearms at the campsite.
More than 12 hours later, the remaining children were located in a remote campsite, deep in dense bush about 2km away from where Phillips was fatally shot.
A spokesperson for the family, who asked to not be named, told RNZ the last week had been "beyond belief".
They said the family had always feared the four-year ordeal would end with Phillips being shot by police.
When they received the news on Monday morning, they were in "shock".
The family was very sad Phillips shot a police officer, the spokesperson said. The officer remains in hospital with significant injuries.
"We're absolutely gutted for this officer and their family ... We hope that the officer can make a full recovery."
The family was now turning its focus on Phillips' children and ensuring they can "move forward with their lives".
"The 100 percent focus and priority from Monday on is the children and their wellbeing moving forward."
The spokesperson said they had no knowledge of any members of the Phillips family helping him while he was on the run.
The family had gone through four years of "pressure and scrutiny and media harassment," the spokesperson said.
"It's been very, very hard."
Detective Inspector Daryl Smith said in statement on Thursday that they had been examining multiple campsites since the shooting on Monday.
"Police staff have spent the last three days canvassing the area, traversing some extremely difficult terrain, in dense bush," he said.
"An examination of the located sites is continuing today and is expected to be completed tomorrow."
Cordons will be adjusted Friday morning, along the road where police confronted Phillips in a fatal stand-off on Monday, so that pupils can return to Piripiri School.
Officers are likely to complete their scene examinations of the campsites believed to have been used by Phillips and his three children during their four years on the run.
Smith said extra police have been deployed to the Marokopa and the King Country and have been working in difficult conditions.
A postmortem was carried out on Phillips on Wednesday, and his body has now been released to his family, Smith said.
His death has been referred to the coroner.
