29 January 2024 , 14:40
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Two teens knifed to death in front of horrified bus passengers are feared to have been victims of a postcode gang feud, according to neighbours.
Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were brutally killed in a brazen late night stabbing before their attackers fled in a waiting car. Now residents have claimed they were "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when a gang launched the assault.
Supt Mark Runacres, from Avon and Somerset Police, refused to speculate on suggestions that the boys were killed in a tragic case of mistaken identity. He also refuted suggestions that the boys were victims of a local “gang war”, saying: “People often describe Bristol as a city made up of many different villages. There is considerable pride in each neighbourhood, but I do not believe this tragedy is routed in a gang war, no.”
Jason Teakel, 45, watched in horror as the two boys, Max and Mason lay dying in the street near his semi-detached home in Knowle West, Bristol, on Saturday night. Self-employed mechanic Mr Teakel, whose family member knew the boys and attends the same school, felt the pair were “innocent victims – 100 per cent”.
He added: “These poor kids were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is a postcode war going on around here between gangs in Knowle and gangs in Hartcliffe about a mile away. But I feel Max and Mason were definitely not in any gang. They were good boys who were not caught up in anything until the night they died.”
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Max Dixon
Mason RistHis wife, security worker Victoria, also, 45, confirmed the belief a gang war was currently raging in Bristol. She said: “It has gone crazy these last couple of years. These gangs, they are all as bad as one another. I think what’s happened is a gang from around here has gone over to Hartcliffe and caused some trouble, so the Hartcliffe gang has come here to teach them a lesson, and Max and Mason have somehow ended up as the innocent victims of this stupid wasteful violence. I feel absolutely sickened by it.
Neighbours have said they believe it could have been a postcode feud (Tom Wren / SWNS)“I don’t feel safe living here and my family is scared to leave the house. I think social media has also played a part in this because these gangs go online and taunt each other on social media and it escalates. I feel someone has said something bad about someone else and it has triggered this kind of retaliation."
She said she wants to see more police officers on the beat in the area and increased surveillance to prevent further violence and deaths. "Without that, the violence around here is going to escalate and more innocent people are going to lose their lives,” she added.
Mr Teakel said one of his neighbours tried desperately to save Max‘s life as he lay bleeding to death in the street after the stabbing. Mr Teakel said: “A neighbour ran out with towels and was with him for 20 minutes while we waited for the ambulance, trying to stem the flow of blood pouring out of his body. They tried everything to save him. They're in pieces today.
The neighbour later confirmed they had tried to save Max. They asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, but has given a full statement to Avon and Somerset Police. Mr Teakel said the boys were pupils at the Oasis Academy in Brislington, about a mile and a half from Ilminster Avenue, where they died. “They were good boys. A family member is at the same school and knew them pretty well, and didn’t have a bad word to say about them,” he said.