A man has been charged with the murders of two brothers who were allegedly shot over a neighbourhood dispute.
Police will allege Luke and Sam Willis had returned to their father's home in Mayfield, Newcastle, on Sunday night and found a front window smashed.
Within minutes, they were allegedly gunned down on a nearby Windeyer Street nature strip, 28-year-old primary school teacher Luke shot twice while his 22-year-old brother Sam died from a single wound to the upper torso.
A Mayfield resident, 53, walked into Belmont police station about noon yesterday and was last night charged with two counts of murder.
The brothers' father was returning from overseas last night, and their deeply shocked mother was being comforted by family and friends at her Merewether home.
The deaths have shocked even the most hardened police, who have questioned how an apparent dispute between neighbours could have turned deadly.
''It is hard to fathom how it all has come to this. Both the deceased are widely known as upstanding members of the community who are now dead,'' a senior officer said last night.
Both men were popular and highly regarded - Luke had returned from a stint working in Hay to take up a position at Thornton Public School this year and had been living at Merewether.
He had spent three years at Hay, was the year 6 teacher and the music teacher who played for the local Magpies Rugby League team, as well as an Aussie rules team.
Luke and his girlfriend were planning to travel to Thailand on Friday for a holiday.
His brother, Sam, was an environmental science student at the University of Newcastle and also did youth work with Allambie House.
Sam had been living at the Gamack Street home with his father, who travelled often with work.
Police sources have confirmed the men had arrived at the Gamack Street home on Sunday afternoon and found a front window smashed.
''They were very nice people, very friendly, and would always wave and say hello,'' one elderly neighbour, Helen Osborn, said.
''They were extremely nice boys''.
Just after 6pm, the pair walked around the block to Windeyer Street before being shot as they stood near a power pole on the nature strip.
They were dead within seconds; a .38 calibre revolver was found with the bodies.
The Newcastle City local area commander, Superintendent Max Mitchell, said the handgun would be sent away for ballistics testing to determine if it was the murder weapon.
A woman who was also living at the Windeyer Street home returned to the scene yesterday to retrieve some medication.
Sam Willis's Facebook page was flooded with messages of condolences last night.
''To our beautiful Sam, from a young curly-haired boy to a man we have watched you grow into a fine young man, we will always remember you and Luke forever in our hearts never to be forgotten thank you for all the fun memories you have shared with our family. Brothers together forever,'' one message said.
Notes were sent home with students from Thornton Public School offering counselling for the children in Luke's class.
The Windeyer Street resident was charged last night with two counts of murder and was refused bail to appear in Newcastle Local Court today.
