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Reagan's Shooter Sees Hotel Echoes in New Attack
29 Apr
Summary
- Ronald Reagan survived a 1981 assassination attempt at the same hotel.
- John Hinckley Jr. compared the recent event to his own attack.
- Three others, including James Brady, were wounded in the 1981 shooting.
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was targeted in an assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton hotel. John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots, wounding Reagan, White House Press Secretary James Brady, Officer Thomas Delahanty, and Special Agent Tim McCarthy.
Reagan, struck by a ricochet, narrowly missed his heart and spent 12 days hospitalized. Brady, severely injured, later died in 2014, his death ruled a homicide. Hinckley's motive was linked to an obsession with actress Jodie Foster.
Found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982, Hinckley spent over 30 years in psychiatric care before his conditional and subsequent full release. He recently commented that the Washington Hilton is "not a secure place" for large events.
Special Agent McCarthy, also wounded in the 1981 attack, praised the Secret Service's response to the recent incident, stating they "did a hell of a good job."
