A father broke down in tears as he relived the last conversation he had with his son, just hours before the teenager was killed.

Connor Whitehead was attending a friend’s birthday party in the Christchurch suburb of Casebrook when he was shot dead in November 2021.

Two men, Daniel Nelson and Joshua Smith, are charged with his murder and are appearing before the High Court. The pair have pleaded not guilty.

Connor’s father, James Whitehead, was the first person to give evidence and said the pair had a “close relationship”.

He said his son lived with him full-time and would stay with his mother at the weekend.

“He was independent and looked after himself, he was a good teenager to live with.

“Connor had his freedom as long as I knew where he was and when he would be back,” said Whitehead.

Two police officers arrived at his house at 12:30am on November 5 and started asking Whitehead “some strange questions about Connor trying to confirm that I was his dad”.

“They asked to come in. They told me a teenager had been shot and killed and they believed it was Connor. I told them it wasn't funny," he said.

“I felt my fingers go numb. I went into shock immediately. Everything was a blur from then on.”

Whitehead told the court that before he’d gone out to a movie, he’d left his son at home with friends.

“I said 'have fun, I love you' and he said 'I love you'. That was the last time I saw Connor.”

The jury trial has been set down for three weeks.