Killing of David Byrne

53°22′39″N 6°14′45″W / 53.37740°N 6.24593°W / 53.37740; -6.24593Date5 February 2016 (2016-02-05)shootingWeapons3 PM md. 63 Assault Rifles Multiple HandgunsDeaths1Injured2Perpetrators6MotiveRevenge on Kinahan Gang for the murder of Gary Hutch

The Irish criminal David Byrne was shot dead on 5 February 2016 at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, Dublin.^[1]

It is believed by the Garda Síochána that Daniel Kinahan, the son of Christy Kinahan, was the intended target, but had left early.^[2][3][4]

Byrne had been investigated by every Garda specialist unit since he was a teenager.^[5] He was present at the fatal stabbing of Declan Gavin in August 2001 in Crumlin, Dublin.^[5] He was called as a witness in the trial of Brian Rattigan for the killing, but said he had seen nothing.^[5]

David Byrne had been arrested many times and was a suspect in the murder of Gary Bryan in Walkinstown in 2006.^[1]

In January 2016 Gardaí had a special policing plan put in place for the following month when two boxing events would be attended by members of a criminal gang associated with Christy Kinahan.^[6] The Kinahan gang have a long association with boxing both in Dublin and Marbella.^[7]

On 5 February 2016 there was to be a boxing match for the WBO European lightweight title between Jamie Kavanagh and Antonio João Bento at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, Dublin. At the weigh-in there was an organised armed attack; the match was cancelled after the shooting.^[8] There were at least four attackers with masks, army style-helmets and flak jackets, two of whom were disguised as members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit and armed with AK-47s. An associate of the Kinahan cartel, David Byrne (32) was shot dead; security sources said that the gang had intended to kill others. Two men were injured and taken to the Mater Private Hospital and Beaumont Hospital.^[8]

After the attack, security camera recordings suggested that six people had been involved, including a man disguised as a woman.^[9] The attackers escaped in a Ford Transit van which was later found burnt-out.^[8]

Because of the length of time Byrne's body would be waked at his parents' house before the funeral, special security measures were put in place.^[10] The funeral was held at the Church of St Nicholas of Myra, Francis Street.^[10] Gardaí checked the church before and after the ceremony for explosives but the funeral passed without incident and the hearse went to Mount Jerome Cemetery.^[10]

One line of investigation is that the shooting was in revenge for the murder of Gary Hutch in Spain in September 2015.^[8]

Shortly after the shooting a call was placed to the BBC saying that the Continuity IRA had carried out the attack because Byrne had been involved in the killing of Alan Ryan four years before; however, the Continuity IRA later stated that it was not responsible.^[11]

On 18 May 2016 Patrick Hutch, the brother of Gary Hutch, was charged at the Criminal Courts of Justice with the murder of David Byrne. There was no application for bail; the defendant was granted legal aid and remanded to appear in Clover Hill District Court on 25 May.^[12][13] The trial of Patrick Hutch for murder and possession of firearms was later set for January 2018 at the non-jury Special Criminal Court; he was denied bail.^[14] On 20 February 2019, all charges against Patrick Hutch were dropped and he walked free from court.^[15]

In October 2019 the High Court ordered the Director of Public Prosecutions to provide transcripts of the collapsed trial to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.^[16] Jonathan Dowdall, a former Sinn Féin counciller, was subsequently charged with the Regency murder.^[17]

In April 2021, Gerry Hutch became the subject of a European Arrest Warrant as Gardaí said they had enough evidence to charge him with murder in connection with the shooting of David Byrne.^[18] The EAW was issued after the Director for Public Prosecutions moved that he be charged with murder and tried before the Special Criminal Court.^[18] He is also likely to face other charges, such as attempted murder and possession of firearms.^[18] An investigation file was submitted by Garda detectives based in Ballymun to the DPP late in 2020.^[18]

In April 2021 three men appeared in court in relation to the shooting.^[19] In August 2021 Gerry Hutch was arrested in Spain on foot of the European Arrest Warrant in connection with the shooting.^[20][21][22] In September 2021 Gerry Hutch was extradited to the Republic of Ireland and charged with the murder of David Byrne.^[23]

On 28 September 2022 both Jonathan Dowdall and his father Patrick pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of David Byrne.^[24]

On 3 October 2022 the Special Criminal Court was told that Jonathan Dowdall was willing to be a witness in the Regency shooting trial.^[25] The trial was adjourned for a week.^[25] Though Dowdall had been convicted of facilitating the murder, the charge of murder against him had been dropped.^[25] Dowdall is under Garda protection and is being assessed for the witness protection programme.^[25]

In April 2023 Gerry Hutch was acquitted of the murder of David Byrne.^[26]

The hotel was renamed the Bonnington in October 2017.^[27] The renaming had been considered before the shooting, but the process was accelerated after it.^[27]

• Hutch–Kinahan feud
• List of unsolved murders