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Regional | Gisborne

Fatal Gisborne birthday brawl: Interviews complete, investigation rolls on

Police have now spoken to everyone who came to Chrysler Stevens-Mark’s 21st birthday party in Gisborne, where he and Kane Te Paa (also known as Kane Taare-Gray) were killed in a brawl.

Police Detective Inspector Dave de Lange said investigations in the deaths of the two men are continuing.

“The investigation team is in the process of reviewing all witness statements.

“Forensic analysis of all items gathered during the investigation, including a knife located at the scene, is also ongoing.

“This is a complex investigation due to the number of witnesses interviewed to date, and the number of victims involved, so there is a vast amount of information for the investigation team to assess,” he said

According to de Lange, the decision on more charges for the two men remanded in custody will be made once the forensic analysis has been completed and all other information has been assessed.

What we know about the birthday brawl

On March 23, Stevens-Mark was celebrating his 21st birthday with his whānau on Lytton Road, Gisborne, when, according to a police statement last month, uninvited guests arrived. More than 100 people were estimated to have been there, police said late last month.

A brawl broke out and saw two people, including the birthday boy, die and three others sent to the local hospital.

Two men, a 29-year-old and a 25-year-old, were arrested in relation to the incident.

They are both charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (concerning one of the injured victims) and are remanded in custody.