A small town in the Northern Rivers region of NSW is coming to terms with the shocking deaths of a local man and his son in what police believe is murder-suicide.
Police found the bodies of 58-year-old Wayne Smith and his 15-year-old son Noah yesterday afternoon at a home on Kookaburra Court at Yamba, following a call from a family member.
Both had suffered gunshot wounds.
Police said they believed the murder-suicide was perpetrated by Mr Smith.
Coffs-Clarence Police Superintendent Shane Cribb said Mr Smith was a licensed gun owner and they were examining his licensing history.
"The firearm that was found at the scene, he was licensed to have that."
Superintendent Cribb said the small community, including some of his own officers, were in shock.
"I've actually got my own police that know the family, I've got police officers' children that actually went to the same school.
"When you talk about that, the effect this has as a whole, it affects a lot more people than we think".
Small community in shock
Neighbour Barry Wiseman said he had known the family all his life and didn't see any signs that something like this could happen.
"I was quite shocked, in a quiet street like this one in a small town like ours, it's pretty hard to take," Mr Wiseman said.
Other neighbours said Mr Smith and Noah mostly kept to themselves.
"It's a tragedy, terrible ... especially for the little boy," neighbour Joan Pullen said.
Clarence Valley councillor Debrah Novak said the deaths were being felt by the entire community.
"They'll be holding each other very close," she said.
"I think they'll be trying to find support to help their own families understand and their children to understand how and why this happened."
Ms Novak, a Yamba resident, said going forward it would be vital for children to receive adequate support.
"They'll be asking a lot of questions around safety — do they feel safe?"
"It's really important that when children ask those questions that they're answered in a really educated way."
The Yamba Buccaneers Rugby Club has posted a tribute to Noah on social media.
In the post, the club said Noah was always "willing to have a crack" and was well respected by other players.
The club said it had offered support to those affected by the death of Mr Smith and Noah.
