REAGAN
(AP)-On the afternoon of March 30th, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot while leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan had addressed the Building and Construction Workers Union of the AFL-CIO at the hotel.
Six shots were fired by John Hinckley Jr. One bullet ricocheted off the limousine Reagan was walking to striking the President under the arm lodging in his lung. A police officer and a Secret Service agent also were shot. Reagan’s press secretary James Brady was shot in his head and was left paralyzed. Hinckley Jr. was wrestled to the ground. He eventually was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Hinckley Jr. was released from prison in 2016.
A federal judge is considering whether Hinckley Jr. should be unconditionally released from the restrictions he’s been living under. Hinckley Jr. was 25-years-old when he attacked the president in a bid to impress actress Jodi Foster.
Hinckley Jr. is now 66-years-old. He’s been living in Williamsburg, Virginia, since leaving a Washington hospital five years ago. Doctors oversee his medication and therapy. He can’t have a gun and cannot travel far without informing his doctors.
Hinckley’s lawyer says he no longer poses a threat. Prosecutors have opposed ending restrictions. A hearing was scheduled for today.
Reagan died in 2004. Brady died in 2014.
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