It’s two years since best friends Max and Mason were killed near their homes

18:37, 28 Jan 2026Updated 20:36, 28 Jan 2026

Friends and family of murdered teenager Mason Rist gather in Knowle West, Bristol, tonight , Wednesday, January 2026, to commemorate the second anniversary of his and his best friend’s death. (Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc)

Family and friends of a teenager murdered in South Bristol gathered on Wednesday evening to release balloons and light flares on the second anniversary of his death.

The family and friends of Mason Rist gathered around a tree planted last year in his memory and released red balloons and lit red flares in honour of his devotion to Liverpool FC.

Mason, 15, was attacked outside his home in Knowle West late on the evening of January 27, 2024, and died in hospital after midnight on the morning of January 28.

He was murdered alongside his best friend Max Dixon, 16, in an attack which shocked the nation two years ago.

Last year, hundreds of people gathered at the Park Knowle FC ground to mark the first anniversary of the two boys’ deaths. This year, Max’s family welcomed the balloon launch event for Mason but said they were marking the sombre anniversary of Max’s death quietly and privately.

Friends and family gather with balloons(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc)

Mason was an avid Liverpool fan and pupil at Oasis John Williams School in South Bristol. The pair had been playing computer games on the Saturday evening of January 27, 2024, when Max called for Mason to walk a short distance to a local takeaway.

They were almost instantly attacked by a group of four teenagers and fatally stabbed. The four, and the man driving the car which brought them to and from Knowle West, were all jailed for life for both their murders.

Last week, Mason’s mother Nikki Knight launched a petition calling on the Government and prison authorities to crack down on the use of mobile phones by young offenders in secure children’s homes and prisons.

Bristol Live has regularly reported how both families are targeted by some of the young killers who are somehow able to access mobile phones, the internet and social media.