Gunmen Disguised as Police Officers Opened Fire at Boxing Fans in Dublin

Gunmen attack boxing fans at Dublin hotel, killing 1 person
https://t.co/6JAP9gxmew (@ShawnPogatchnik)
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) February 5, 2016

Two gunmen dressed as police officers entered a hotel in Dublin on Friday and opened fire on a crowd of boxing fans, killing one man and wounding two others, according to the Associated Press. Police, speaking under condition of anonymity, suspect that the incident pertained to feuding gangland factions.

The gunmen, believed to be armed with assault rifles, terrorized fans anticipating weigh-in ceremonies for two boxing matches this weekend, as they stalked through the lobby and opened fire. The victims are men in their 20s and 30s, one of whom died at the scene and the others have been hospitalized with serious wounds.

Boxing events in Dublin have cultivated fears of gang retaliation in the past, due to gangs' associations with various boxing clubs. And the boxing-gang parallels don't stop with today's incident. One of the boxers headlining this weekend's WBO European lightweight title bout, Jamie Kavanagh, has been linked to the Kinahan family, renown for their ties to the criminal underworld. Kavanagh's father was a gangster and a convicted drug dealer who was shot to death in Spain in 2014.

Kavanagh took to Twitter to tell fans that he was indeed ok after the incident, after an ominous-sounding scare.

Anyone asking I'm OK! Thanks you for asking. I was lucky today is all I can say…..
— Jamie Kavanagh (@JamieKavanagh90) February 5, 2016

It is unclear whether or not the fight will resume in the wake of the shooting.