BBC reporter was 'staring down barrel of a gun' during Dublin shooting

The gunmen walked into Dublin's Regency Hotel on Friday dressed in police uniforms. In the middle of a boxing match weigh-in, they opened fire with AK-47's.

BBC Sport reporter Kevin McAnena was in the hotel lobby when the shooting started.

He tells As It Happens host Carol Off, "I jumped over the receptionist's desk and started shouting 'don't shoot, don't shoot.' "

McAnena saw a masked gunman shoot one of the victims. As the gunshots rang out, chaos erupted as the crowd ran from the building. 

Here is a video as the assault began:

McAnena was trapped in a corner behind the hotel reception desk when a gunman approached him, pointing the barrel of an AK-47 at his face.

"He took a decision in that moment whether i would live or die," he says.

Instead of firing, the gunman told him to get out of the hotel.

The shooter's target was a purported gang member David Byrne, who was shot dead. On the weekend, a Republican paramilitary group called the Continuity IRA claimed responsibility for the attack.

It's thought that Byrne was targeted for his involvement in the death of a member of the Real IRA group four years ago.

Irish police are being more cautious. They have not confirmed that the shootings are connected to Republican paramilitary groups.

As for Kevin McAnena, he's moving to Canada — a relocation that was planned long before his brush with violence. 

"Hopefully things will be calmer for me over there," he says.