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The brown door sits unadorned but for the gold metal apartment number screwed into the wood. There is no wreath or welcome mat. A little-known oil painting hangs next to the door while more prominent prints from Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera and Salvador Dali are affixed to the nearby hallways and stairwells.

The unassuming decor, according to those who live in the Salt Lake City apartment complex, matches the reserved and quiet people who lived inside. And that's what makes the shock surrounding what happened behind the door on Tuesday so much worse, said neighbor Kellsa Afton.

Police believe a man shot and killed an 8-year-old boy and then himself inside the apartment at about 12:10 p.m., said Salt Lake City Police Department Detective Greg Wilking. They have yet to say what the motive may be.

Officers responded to the apartment, near 600 North Center Street (200 West), on a call for domestic dispute involving a gun, Wilking said. Police said the weapon was an "improvised firearm."

The man was dead at the scene, and the boy was taken to a hospital, where he died. The boy lived with the man, Wilking said, though their exact relationship was not immediately clear.

A woman was also in the apartment, though she was uninjured, Wilking said.

The deaths haunted Afton, who has lived two floors above the residence for about a year. She repeated several times Tuesday evening that what unfolded was a "shock" to her.

"He just seemed like a very caring person, so for this to happen is very shocking," Afton said.

The man, she said, would bring up her laundry and check to see how she was feeling after her cancer diagnosis in February.

The 8-year-old boy, whom Afton described as "very sweet, very shy," was friends with two of her daughters — ages 9 and 11. He loved video games, she said, particularly Minecraft, and knocked on her door Monday night, looking to play.

"This really hurts. I don't even know how I'm going to tell them," she said, talking about her girls.

Afton's family had water-balloon fights and watched fireworks with the family from downstairs, she said. And when she found out Tuesday — her phone ceaselessly buzzing with messages as she drove out of Mill Creek Canyon and into cellular service — all Afton could think was: "They just seemed happy."

A neighbor one floor below Afton, one floor above the man's room, said the man and his family had lived there for about two years. Sheila Madrid, who's lived in the apartment complex for four years, said the man would always shovel the walkways in the winter.

"They were just nice people," Madrid added. "He was a sweet kid."

Family members at the scene declined to comment. Police were not releasing names, pending further investigation.

Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner