Police Reflect on Enduring Impact of Double Murder Investigation

Five individuals—four teenagers and a 45-year-old man—have now been sentenced for the murders of two close friends, Max Dixon and Mason Rist. The fatal stabbing occurred mere yards from Mason’s front door, a consequence of mistaken identity. The incident deeply distressed communities residing and working in south Bristol, including those tasked with the investigation. Det Supt Gary Haskins’ professional duty involves investigating murders. As the head of the major crime investigation team, he is informed of all such cases within the Avon and Somerset area. However, the murders of 15-year-old Mason Rist and his best friend Max Dixon, 16, will remain with him and his team indefinitely. He stated, “This was one of those investigations that is thankfully not an every day, not an every year, not an every lifetime [occurrence].” He added, “This is an investigation that will live with me and my colleagues for the rest of our careers and lives.” Det Supt Haskins first received notification of Max and Mason’s stabbing on a Sunday morning, the day after they were attacked around 23:00 GMT on Saturday, January 27. The boys were fatally knifed in the street with machetes, just yards from Mason’s front door in Knowle West. Det Supt Haskins commented, “I’m a human being, I’m a parent. These were two boys going about their business, just out being friends.” He also noted, “They were attacked with probably some of the most horrific weapons I’ve ever seen in my career.” The boys were murdered by four teenagers seeking revenge following a separate incident in Hartcliffe, an event with which Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do. On Thursday, Riley Tolliver, 18, and 17-year-old Kodishai Wescott were informed they would each be detained for a minimum of 23 years. A 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, whose names are legally withheld, were detained for life with minimum terms of 15 and 18 years respectively. Anthony Snook, 45, from Hartcliffe, who drove the teenagers around Knowle West “hunting” for a victim to exact violence on, received a sentence last month of a minimum of 38 years in prison. Gary Haskins assumed leadership of the investigation on the Monday morning after the attack. However, his colleagues had been on the scene within minutes and had a suspect in custody within an hour. He described the case as “one of the most significant investigations I have had to lead.” Immediately following the stabbing, uniformed officers—who had been nearby at another incident—were on the scene. Within 10 minutes, officers had identified the vehicle used by Snook and the teenagers. Det Supt Haskins explained, “Thanks to Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), we were able to track the vehicle.” He further stated, “Within 59 minutes, Anthony Snook was in custody.” While in the police van, officers had to stop to inform Snook that the offence for which he had been arrested had been changed to murder, after the boys—who died within 15 minutes of each other—were unable to be saved. Snook had driven the four teenagers back to a house in Hartcliffe, where they disposed of pieces of evidence, before they “scattered” across south Bristol and into Somerset. However, while police had Snook in custody, he was not going to give up the others involved. “Snook wasn’t forthcoming giving us any names,” Det Supt Haskins said. He added, “There was a relentless search for them. Where we thought they’d be, we would attend.” “We would knock on doors. If those doors didn’t open and we believed they were in there we would effect entry.” Det Supt Haskins stated that while the teenagers—who were unknown to them—tried to evade the police, they used “all the powers and the force of the constabulary” to catch them. Approximately 300 officers from across Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire were involved. The intense dedication to securing justice for the two best friends meant that members of Det Supt Haskins’ team would have to be compelled to go home. Eventually, through a combination of “good old fashioned detective work,” CCTV analysis, assistance from the community, and association charts, the boys were found. “They knew we were coming and we weren’t going to stop until they were in custody,” Det Supt Haskins affirmed. He concluded, “We were simply chasing them down until we found them.” The subsequent trial at Bristol Crown Court lasted six weeks, where all five defendants were found guilty of murder. “The attack was brief in its nature, but horrifically violent,” Det Supt Haskins said. He emphasized, “They all acted together. They armed themselves together, they travelled together, they travelled back from the attack together, and they were intent on causing harm to whoever they came across.” He further explained, “This is a joint enterprise. That’s a really significant fact not to forget.” He clarified, “They didn’t attack the two boys for who they were, they attacked them because of where they were. And they attacked as a collective.” As a parent himself, Gary Haskins expressed concern about the future of youth violence and the broader societal implications. “I worry about the future,” he said. He also stated, “But we have an opportunity as police officers, as paramedics, as emergency services, to leave some form of a positive legacy to this horrible, horrible, event.” He remains committed to his role, utilizing his position to help prevent future tragedies. “Every day I think ‘What were they thinking?’,” he reflected. He continued, “Looking at the weapons, looking at their actions, looking at the way they drove around Knowle West trying to find a victim.” He concluded, “There’s no winners in this. There are countless families damaged for life that can never recover from this incident.”