Dublin Hotel Shooting: Men Dressed As Police Burst Into Boxing Weigh-In, Spray Crowd With Bullets

A Dublin hotel was the target of a horrific gang shooting as multiple hitmen entered the hotel during a boxing weigh-in and riddled the crowd with bullets. Three of the hitmen were dressed in police uniforms when they entered the venue with assault rifles and specifically targeted known gangster David Byrne and two of his associates, shooting Byrne dead and critically injuring the two associates inside of the hotel. In all, six hitmen entered the building in various disguises. The shooting was allegedly the doing of a “revenge squad” as part of a war between two powerful Irish gangs. This fatal incident is believed to be retaliation for a murder of Gary Hutch that took place last year when he was allegedly killed by members of the Christy Kinahan gang for failing to pay money that the gang claimed Hutch owed. Following the murder, the Irish police say that an all-out gang war is underway in Ireland between the Christy Kinahan gang and the Hutch family’s gang.

Terrifying moment gunmen storm boxing weigh-in at Dublin hotel before shooting man dead https://t.co/oUABhUCD2f pic.twitter.com/Vx3R6U3htJ

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) February 6, 2016

The Daily Mail reports that a deadly shooting took place at a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin yesterday. During the shooting, Irish police claim that six men entered the boxing venue with the express intent of killing known gang member David Byrne. The men entered the hotel in various disguises including three dressed as police officers and one dressed as a woman with a fake blonde wig. According to witnesses at the scene, the hitman dressed as a woman entered the venue to locate Byrne and was also serving as a lookout. Once Byrne was located, three men dressed as police officers entered the building with a Romanian model of an AK-47 assault rifle and executed Byrne as they riddled the building with bullets. Two of Byrne’s associates were also critically injured during the shooting.

Police say that they believe six men were involved in the shooting and that they were part of a “revenge squad” sent by the family of Gary Hutch to retaliate for Hutch’s murder last year.

“They are believed to be a revenge squad operating in response to a murder last year which sparked fears underworld tensions between two powerful Irish gangs have erupted into all out war.”

According to the Irish Sun, David Byrne was targeted as he is a senior member of the Christy Kinahan gang. Byrne was in the godfather Christy ‘Dapper Don’ Kinahan’s mob and was the first cousin of gangster ‘Fat’ Freddie Thompson. The Kinahan gang has been accused of killing rival gang member Gary Hutch last year during a payment dispute.

? VIDEO: Video shows moment deadly shooting begins at Dublin hotel https://t.co/dKVHzKHuxJ pic.twitter.com/HVvPlFbbLz

— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) February 5, 2016

Though the Dublin hotel shooting took place during the boxing weigh-in, the Irish boxing chief says that the boxers or boxing event were not the target of the shooting but rather the shooting was gang-related with the hitmen specifically entering the event to kill Byrne.

Though the boxers were apparently not the target of the deadly Dublin shooting, the event will not go on as planned as many of the boxers say they are going home. Boxer Vaidas Balciauskas from Lithuania says he came to fight not to for a shooting.

“It was shocking, very shocking. Everyone tried to survive. There was screaming everywhere. Of course I’m scared. I came here to fight, not for shooting. I had to run for my life. It’s terrible. We will be going home now.”

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is an Irish Labour Party politician says that the “every shooting is disgusting” but that this is particularly disgusting as a child could have been in the crossfire as video from the event (you can watch the video above) shows a little boy screaming for his “daddy” as bullets spray through the hotel lobby.

“Every shooting is disgusting, there is never any justification for shooting, but a child could have been shot in the crossfire. This would traumatise a child, leaving them growing up knowing they were in a room where a shooting like this took place. That’s a legacy these animals will deal with. If it even make s a difference to them, they’ve once more dragged the name of this city through the dirt.”

[Image via Google Maps/Street View]