The Regency Hotel murder trial has heard people were tumbling over chairs and seeking cover when gunfire broke out on the 5th February 2016.
25-year-old Patrick Hutch of Champion’s Avenue in Dublin 1 denies murdering David Byrne at the Dublin premises.
The former president of the Boxing Union of Ireland, Mel Christle, told the court he went to the Regency Hotel that afternoon for a boxing weigh in.
He said the hotel had never held such an event before.
He said he was just finishing weighing in a boxer when he heard a cracking noise which he realised were gunshots.
He said people were tumbling over chairs and seeking cover.
He said he then became aware of two people running to his left with guns – one had a cap on his head and the other was a man dressed as a woman.
He said he later heard what he described as at least eight very loud high velocity shots out in the reception area.
He went outside and when he came back in - he saw two men with gunshot injuries on the ground and the body of a man at the Reception area.
He said there were huddles of people outside the hotel in a highly frenzied mood.
He told the court there was a number of these people who you could see were looking for vengeance.