THE death of Casey Braxton on Home and Away sent viewers into a fit of anger and sadness on social media last night.
Braxton, who is played by Lincoln Younes, was shot by Jake Pirovic in a dramatic climax to Monday night's episode.
Pirovic, who kidnapped Braxton's half-brother Josh, intended to shoot Darryl 'Brax' Braxton, but the fatal shot appears to have killed of one of Summer Bay's most-loved characters.
The preview for Tuesday's episode shows Casey Braxton still breathing and conscious, but it is understood the fan favourite will not recover from the gunshot wound.
Fans began voicing their disbelief on social media minutes after the show ended.
The death was hardly a surprise, however. Earlier this year, it was announced Younes would leave Australia's second longest running television series to star in season two of Channel Nine's successful drama, Love Child.
But it caught some fans off guard.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Bendigo actor Lincoln Younes' character on Home and Away has died in a dramatic storyline on the popular soapie tonight.
Younes plays Casey Braxton, one of the notorious River Boys, and the character's murder came amid a plight to save half-brother Josh from a kidnapping.
"When I used to watch Home and Away I had no concept it might be possible (to end up on there)," he told the Bendigo Advertiser after joining the show in 2011.
"The cast and crew are so friendly and the location so beautiful, the whole situation is amazing."
Younes, 22, has joined the cast of Love Child for its second season.