Bristol stabbings: Boys, 15 and 16, killed in stabbing attack named

Two teenagers who died after being stabbed in Bristol have been named.

The teens, named locally as Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were attacked by a number of people on Ilminster Avenue in Knowle West at about 23:20 GMT on Saturday. They later died in hospital.

The attackers fled from the scene in a car, Avon and Somerset Police said.

A 44-year-old man and 15-year-old boy have been arrested and remain in custody.

A vigil was held on Sunday evening where the boys were stabbed, with members of the local community attending to light candles and lay flowers.

Local resident Julia O'Reilly was one of the first on the scene after the boys were attacked.

"I had Mason's head on my lap telling him to stay with us, you've got help coming," she said.

"When the police came they told us all to move away which we did, and they tried to sort him out."

She added: "I saw this car come down the road. I look back and see Mason, I did not know it was Mason at the time, but I saw a kid get halfway across the road and fall flat.

"With that I just grabbed my dressing gown and ran out to be with him. And then everybody started coming."

GoFundMe pages have been set up to help with the funeral costs for the two teenagers, which have raised more than £2,000.

Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, who attended the vigil, said the whole community had been "rocked" and will receive the support it needs.

Speaking during a visit to Warrington, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said tackling knife crime requires a "laser focus" as he described the incident as "devastating".

He added: "We can't carry on with these awful stories of knife crime. We have to roll up our sleeves and do something about it."

Bristol Police Commander Supt Mark Runacres said at a press conference on Sunday that a murder investigation has been launched.

"There are further suspects that are being sought amongst the group that we believe are responsible," he added.

The first arrest in connection with the stabbing was made within an hour and a vehicle has been seized.

Several witnesses have been identified and officers are keen to speak to passengers who were on a bus on Ilminster Avenue, at the time the stabbings occurred, Supt Runacres said.

"The call was received shortly after 23:15 GMT and within an hour we had the first suspect identified through the linked vehicle and in custody," Supt Runacres said.

"People had come out of their houses into the streets to try and help the boys, and there are some really heart-wrenching accounts from people on how they sought to achieve that."

Formal identification of the victims has not yet taken place and a forensic post-mortem will be scheduled in due course.

A police cordon is in place on Ilminster Avenue between Newquay Road and Tavistock Road.

Officers will also be attending Oasis Academy John Williams, which both of the victims attended.

Victoria Boomer-Clark, principal at the academy, said: "We are all shocked and devastated by the news of the death of two of our young people on Saturday night - lives tragically and needlessly cut short.

"Whilst this is not a school-related incident, moments like this impact our whole community, and we are working with our students, and staff to help them process and come to terms with these tragic events."

High visibility patrols will also be carried out to provide reassurance to the community while forensic searches and other enquiries are conducted, police said.

In a statement, Supt Runacres added: "[I'm] frustrated that offences like this will take place anywhere. It's demoralising. But it makes me determined to support the community.

"[And] it makes me determined to work with the team of police officers we have committed to this to identify those and bring them to justice."

The neighbourhood policing team will be setting up a mobile police station near the scene and anyone with concerns or questions is encouraged to to speak to any of the officers.

Supt Runacres said it was extremely important there should be no commentary or sharing of information or images online which could in any way prejudice any future proceedings.

"I'd also like to remind people of the impact the sharing of images, footage or even discussing the incident online may have on the families of the two boys," he said.

"They are already going through the most difficult of times and you may cause them further upset."

A meeting was held on Monday at 12:00 GMT for community members to talk to the police and council.

Avon and Somerset police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford said he is "deeply saddened by the shocking and senseless deaths".

"The grief being felt by the families of those boys and the impact it will have on their loved ones, as well as the wider community, is unimaginable," he said.

"A tragedy such as this, where two young people have lost their lives, is a bleak reminder of the awful consequences of carrying and using knives."

Chief constable Sarah Crew said their teams and partner organisations are "pulling out every stop we can" to bring the people who carried out the attack "to justice".

She said: "We've all got a stake in playing our part in stopping these senseless losses of life."

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