The man fatally shot in the Hawke's Bay community of Mohaka has been named as 43-year-old Blair Cole.
His father now faces a charge of murder, which comes as a shock to some of those who know the pair.
Police are still investigating the final moments leading up to the shooting.
Friends and family gathered at the Mohaka property as Mr Cole's body was removed from the scene.
"There is a bit of a silver lining in this tragedy somewhere, we wish it would hurry up and show itself," says relative Charlie Lambert.
Before police took Mr Cole's father away, he asked if he could leave his dog with family friends.
Ngaire Culshaw says it's what the man was like, and partly why it was such a shock to the community.
Mr Cole moved to Mohaka a few months ago so his father could help him with health issues, Ms Culshaw says.
"We might not see some of the family back here again, and that's one of the other tragedies that's happened here, is that people will carry that hurt for quite a long time," Mr Lambert says.
The incident has left Mohaka and the wider Wairoa community in shock.
"It's just a tragic event and we're all feeling it," says mayor Craig Little. "It's just one of those things you don't want to happen anywhere really, let alone Wairoa."
A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out on Mr Cole's body on Friday, while his father will next appear in court on November 8.
Newshub.
