UPDATED 3.17pm: The High Court in Auckland has heard how a drunk 17-year-old incited a violent street brawl, which left Connor Morris dead.

Trevor Morunga was attending a small 21^st party for his brother Jason “Karl” Teiho on August 3rd last year.

He had already gotten into a fist fight with one of his cousins, when he confronted a trio walking down Don Buck Road.

Mr Morunga remembers one saying hello and went to shake their hand, but in his drunken state decided instead to kick the man in the head.

He reports that on a scale of one to 10 for intoxication, he was an eight.

Mr Morunga looked down at his hands as he told the court that Michael Murray, now on trial for Connor Morris’ murder, was not pleased with his behaviour.

“Mike was telling me to go sort it out, because he didn’t want any trouble around his house. Because he had all his kids and that there.”

Mr Morunga said he was too drunk that night, he was acting like an idiot and made a stupid mistake.

Another witness, Shamus Wira, told the court how things turned ugly when, out of nowhere, his cousin lashed out at the passerby.

Within seconds, he said Head Hunters gang members and associates had descended on the street, starting a massive fight.

Mr Morunga said during the scrap he saw Murray out of the corner of his eye.

“I seen (sic) he had a weapon, he had used it on someone. I think he was just trying to protect his brother or something. That’s pretty much all I seen (sic).”

Mr Morunga then saw Mr Morris lying on the ground after he was hit.

The defence alleges that during the fighting, Murray swung a sickle at Mr Morris to stop him punching his younger brother.

The large, rusted farming tool fractured Mr Morris’ skull and pierced into his brain, cutting five centimetres deep.

Crown lawyer David Johnstone yesterday described in detail the horrific injury inflicted by the blade.

“The blow was such that it pushed Mr Morris’ brain stem into the skull on the other side of his neck.

“The brain stem on the right side of Mr Morris’ head was damaged so severely and so immediately that Mr Morris seems to have died almost instantly, perhaps even before he hit the ground.”

Mr Wira, who was caught up in the brawl, said he didn’t see what happened.

But he said Murray didn’t appear to be drunk – certainly nowhere near as intoxicated as others who had gathered in the driveway on Don Buck Road.

He said he was chatting with Murray when his highly intoxicated cousin kicked one of Mr Morris’ associates.

Up till that point, Mr Wira said Murray had just been enjoying catching up with everyone at the party.

“I don’t even think the cuzz (cousin) was drunk, because he was just chilling back with his fams (family).

“We were the drunk ones. We were the ones partying. We merely just went up there to say hello and say goodbye.”

Mr Wira’s partner Luya Kariauria also told the court Murray appeared considerably more sober than the rest of their group of friends of family.

She had popped down the road to the Gull service station when the fighting broke out.

When she came back around the corner she saw people crowded around her car, including one man who she said was taking photographs of her number plate.

“I ran over and I said ‘I have nothing to do with what’s happening here’ and I took off.”

She said she could see he was affiliated with the Head Hunters gang, as he had their logo on his t-shirt.

As for the people fighting in the street, Ms Kariauria said there were too many to count.

Yesterday the court heard from Detective Constable Shaun Galbraith, who was in charge of managing the crime scene.

He said the west Auckland street looked like a warzone when he arrived, with people running everywhere, yelling and screaming.

Connor Morris’ partner Millie Elder-Holmes is excluded from the court until she has given evidence in the trial.

She is expected to take the stand for the Crown on Thursday.