A teenager who went to a party that ended in tragedy when a fellow partygoer was shot dead says he wasn't fazed when men turned up waving guns around.
Connor Whitehead, 16, was shot dead at the party which was spiralling out of control.
Joshua Smith and Daniel Sparks are charged with Whitehead's murder. The duo is on trial in the High Court at Christchurch.
A partygoer gave evidence in court on the third day of the hearing. He said he had been hanging out at a mate's house before heading to the party.
He said when he arrived at the party he was "just chilling" and having a good time.
He said he had a quick catch-up with Whitehead shortly after arriving at the party. The pair had previously attended school together.
Tensions at the party escalated and there appeared to be a tussle outside, which the partygoer said he wasn't worried about since that kind of behaviour was pretty normal at parties.
The partygoer described how two men arrived in a car, one may have been wearing a mask, and were waving guns around in the air to scare them.
"I was a bit cautious at first trying to get out of sight," the partygoer said.
"I didn't think it was loaded or anything, I just thought they brought it to try to scare us."
He said he thought it was a "scare tactic".
But then he heard a shot fired and hid behind a tree, he then heard a second shot.
"And then I heard someone yell out, 'Connor's dead'.
"I remember he was just lying on the ground, blood coming from his nose and his mouth."
The partygoer said some people at the party thought Whitehead was having a seizure, but when he saw the blood, he thought that couldn't be the case. He said people were "panicking".
"It was a pretty scary thing to see."
The Crown alleges Sparks and Smith were answering a call of distress from Sparks' son when they armed themselves with guns and drove to the party in the Christchurch suburb of Casebrook.
Crown prosecutor Aaron Harvey began the trial: "One of the central issues during this trial will be who fired the fatal shot. The Crown suggests this was most likely Smith with Mr Sparks firing the shot into the air."
Smith's lawyer, Daniel Kirby, said Whitehead's murder was senseless and shocking, and his client accepts it was his fault. But he is guilty of manslaughter, not murder.
Sparks' lawyer, Nicola Pointer, said he's not guilty of murder. He fired a gun into the air to scatter the crowd so he and Smith could leave the area.
"Mr Sparks did not deliver the fatal shot and when he travelled to Heaphy Place with Mr Smith he had no idea things would unfold the way that they did."
The trial is set down for three weeks and 54 witnesses are expected to be called.
