Police investigating the shootings of a man and woman at their isolated Co Down home say they are treating the deaths as a domestic incident and are not seeking anyone else.
The pair were not officially named last night, but it is understood they were Andrew and Caroline Kewley, who were both in their late 30s.
Officers were called to their home a short distance outside the village of Mayobridge near Newry in the early hours of yesterday, where they found the two bodies.
Ms Kewley, a part-time member of the PSNI, is believed to have been shot by Mr Kewley using her legally-issued firearm before he took his own life.
Forensic officers were still examining the scene at the bungalow as relatives of the dead arrived yesterday. Police cordon tape and a single bunch of flowers, placed at the entrance to the property off Edentrumly Road in the townland of Ballyvally, were the only outward signs of the tragedy.
The couple appeared not to have been well-known among the 400-strong community. Neighbours spoke of the dead woman's interest in horses.
She is understood to have come originally from Newry while Mr Kewley, a community worker, is thought to have come from the Isle of Man.
Local people in Mayobridge knew the dead man only as "Tully" and said he was a private man who would have dropped into Gorman's bar in the village for a pint. He was said to have worked with youth groups and had organised trips into the Mourne Mountains.
It was said the couple's relationship had been in difficulty, that Ms Kewley had voiced her concerns to her colleagues at work, and that police had been called to the house within the past few weeks. However, a PSNI spokeswoman said she could not comment at this stage.
Josephine O'Hare, an SDLP councillor for the area, said villagers were stunned. "There really is a deep sense of shock and sadness here. It is such a beautiful, peaceful area at the foot of the Mourne Mountains that it makes the sadness even worse.
"The couple have lived here for a number of years and they were very private people, although the man occasionally dropped into the local pub. Whatever the circumstances might be, this is a tragedy for all concerned and for the whole local community."
Sinn Féin's Mick Murphy said: "People here are greatly shocked, this has never happened in this area before. A double tragedy such as this is an even greater shock."
Cllr Murphy said local people were happy to help the police in whatever way they could.