Bristol.
The pair had left Mason’s home to get pizza when they were wrongly identified and attacked by Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 15, 16 and 17, who were armed with a baseball bat and machetes.
The group were driven to the scene of the murder in an Audi by 45-year-old Antony Snook as part of a revenge mission after bricks were thrown at a house in a nearby area earlier that evening.
Mason and Max were close friends who had gone to nursery, junior and second school together, and were popular in the community.
In a statement, Max’s family said: “Max was a big character with a happy and joyful look on life. He was funny, kind and caring. He was a huge part of the family and was very popular among his friends. He was full of life and had such a cheeky side, but was always respectful.
“Max and Mason have known each other since nursery school and have always been in the same classes. We often joked it was a funny friendship as they were both so different but they bounced off each other and brought out the best in each other.
“We will miss everything about him. We are broken without him but he would want us to carry on and he wouldn’t want anyone to be down.”
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Mason with his mum Nikki Knight and his cousin. His family said a piece of their jigsaw was ‘gone forever’ (Avon and Somerset Police)
Mason’s family added: “Our family is like a jigsaw puzzle and, with the loss of Mason, it is like a part of our jigsaw is gone forever and will never be complete. Mason was a quiet boy who would never hurt a fly. He was just so lovely and innocent.
“It is impossible to put into words how we feel. This whole process has been incredibly hard and hearing what we have heard, what happened to him, it is horrible to think about Mason’s last moments.
“These dangerous individuals took away our son, brother, nephew, uncle and grandchild and we must now navigate the rest of our lives without our missing puzzle piece.
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.
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Max with his mum Leanne. His family said they were ‘broken without him’ (Avon and Somerset Police)
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.
In the aftermath of the incident, the communities of Bristol came together to mourn the loss of two boys, who were entirely innocent in the events that took place on Saturday 27 January.
A vigil for the boys was held the day after the incident by the shops near Ilminster Avenue and two minutes of applause were held at football and rugby matches in the days which followed.
