Man and four ‘tooled up’ teens guilty of murdering two Bristol boys in case of mistaken identity

Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, died after being chased by four ‘tooled up’ teenagers in Bristol this year

Friends Mason Rist and Max Dixon died from stab wounds (Family handout/Avon and Somerset Police/PA) (Avon and Somerset Police)

A man and four teenagers have been found guilty of murdering two boys in a case of mistaken identity in a botched revenge attack.

Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, died from stab wounds after being chased by four “tooled up” teenagers on 27 January in Bristol.

Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 15, 16 and 17, had been driven to and from Knowle West by Antony Snook, 45, as part of a revenge mission.

The two victims had been wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at a house in the rival Hartcliffe district earlier that evening.

The pair were attacked shortly after leaving Mason’s home on Ilminster Avenue, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Mason Rist, 15, and 16-year-old Max Dixon (right) were murdered in a case of mistaken identity (PA Media)

Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, senior investigating officer at Avon and Somerset Police, said Max and Mason had been going for a pizza when they were fatally attacked in a case of mistaken identity.

“They are beautiful boys, going about their business, in their own community when they were senselessly attacked by the individuals for no reason,” he said.

“What we know is that they passed Max when he was walking towards Mason’s house. Then Mason walks out of his house and joins Max.

“The vehicle is passing, they think ‘that’s them, they will do’. They were hunting around Knowle to find people.

“We know they had driven around Knowle two-and-a-half times before they came across these two boys.”

Court artist sketch of Antony Snook (right) beside Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17, who cannot be named, during their trial (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

A CCTV camera on Mason’s house captured how the attack lasted just 33 seconds, including Snook’s Audi stopping, the four teenagers jumping out, attacking the two friends, returning to the car and it driving off.

Tolliver, who had a baseball bat, and the three teenagers armed with machetes jumped out of the car and chased after the two boys.

Max and Mason were seen going to different sides of the street, each pursued by two people from the vehicle.

Tolliver and the 15-year-old boy attacked Mason, while the 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy chased Max.

A tribute to Mason Rist and Max Dixon on the big screen at Ashton Gate during Bristol City’s Sky Bet Championship match against Leeds United in February (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Archive)

The 17-year-old boy also struck Mason, who was lying injured on the ground, as he headed back to the Audi after attacking Max.

Mason and Max sustained fatal stab injuries, and both died in hospital in the early hours of 28 January 2024.

Snook drove the teenagers from the scene and dropped them off in Knowle West and a fire was lit in a back garden with items linked to the attack disposed of.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old boy picked up a McDonald’s meal and drinks just six hours after the brutal attack.