Nirranda surfer Sean McKinnon was killed in a random attack while sleeping in his campervan.

Waikato District Council Raglan ward councillor Lisa Thomson said residents were struggling to come to terms with the senseless tragedy.

"What happened the other morning has shocked everyone," Cr Thomson said.

She said Raglan had about 2500 residents and welcomed many visitors to enjoy its surf beaches.

"It's just awful - to have visitors to our shores come and be innocently sleeping in their van and that action to happen, it's terrible," she said.

Cr Thomson said members of the community were desperate to help the family in any way they could.

She said one resident had invited people to write down messages to share with Mr McKinnon's fiancee Bianca Buckley. "I can't imagine how she is feeling. We send our love to Bianca, his family and her family," Cr Thomson said.

She said Raglan was a safe place to visit and the alleged killer was not believed to be from the town.

"It's not unusual for young people to be camping in Raglan," Cr Thomson said.

"It's a safe thing to do and we'd like to remind people it is safe to come here."

In the town, flowers, messages and a bottle of beer have been placed at the spot where Mr McKinnon was shot.

In addition to that, a bunch of flowers has been tied to the roadside at the spot where his campervan was abandoned.

It's believed information from members of the public helped locate the man, a 23-year-old, charged with Mr McKinnon's murder.

Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said a post mortem had been completed on the weekend and Mr McKinnon's body had been returned to his family.

He said police continued to search for the firearm used. "We have a dedicated team who remain focused on forming an accurate picture of the events of Friday, in order to get answers for Mr McKinnon's family and the wider public," Detective Inspector Pitkethley said.

"This includes working to locate the firearm used, which remains outstanding, and conducting scene examinations and area enquiries across Waikato.

"For operational reasons we are not in a position to detail exactly where these enquiries are being made."

Detective Pitkethley said police were keen to obtain footage from CCTV cameras or dash cams.

"We're especially interested in any person who was in the area hitchhiking or walking along that road during Friday to make themselves known to Police, so we can eliminate those sightings from our enquiries," he said. "We are working through a large amount of information provided by the public so far, and would continue to ask anyone who has any information, no matter how small, to come forward."

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.