WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — More than three decades after attempting to assassinate a president and almost succeeding, John Hinckley Jr. is now a free man.
On March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his presidency, U.S. President Ronald Reagan was hit by a bullet while walking out of the Hilton Hotel in Washington.
The shooter was John Warnock Hinckley, Jr., who hid among the crowd and fired six Devastator bullets from a .22 caliber revolver. Four people were injured in the shooting: Press Secretary James Brady, D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty, Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy, and the President himself. All four survived.
Hinckley had been infatuated with actress Jodie Foster and the film Taxi Driver. He emulated the film’s lead character and believed that by assassinating the President, he would become famous and gain Foster’s love and respect.
He was tried for the assassination attempt in 1982, but received a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity. Instead of prison, he was sent to St. Elizabeth’s, a federal psychiatric facility. Though initially deemed a danger to himself and others, Hinckley was eventually granted brief outside visits. Over the years, he has been allowed to have longer visits with his mother at her Williamsburg, Virginia home.
Last month, Hinckley was granted release after a judge deemed him cured of his psychosis. He is now living full-time with his mother and must remain with her for at least the next year. One of the conditions of his release is that he cannot contact any of his victims, their families, or Jodie Foster.
