John Hinckley Jr.'s Attempt on Ronald Reagan

On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, striking Reagan in the chest and wounding three other men, including White House Press Secretary James Brady. The attack happened at 2:27 p.m., as Reagan exited the hotel after giving a speech to the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department. One bullet ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan under his left armpit, grazing a rib and lodging in his lung, just an inch from his heart.

John Hinckley Jr. was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 1955. He was the youngest of three children in a wealthy, conservative family. His father, John Warnock Hinckley Sr., was a successful oil executive and later became chairman of Vanderbilt Energy Corporation. Hinckley spent much of his adolescence in Dallas, Texas, where he attended Highland Park High School. He was quiet and somewhat reclusive, excelling in tennis but struggling to form close friendships.

After high school, Hinckley briefly attended Texas Tech University but dropped out before completing his degree. In 1976, his family moved to Evergreen, Colorado, which only deepened his feelings of isolation. By his early twenties, Hinckley had developed symptoms of depression and began showing signs of obsessional thinking. He became fixated on the 1976 film "Taxi Driver," especially its protagonist, Travis Bickle—a disturbed loner who plots to assassinate a presidential candidate.

Hinckley soon developed an obsession with actress Jodie Foster, who played a child prostitute in the film. He followed Foster’s career, collecting magazine articles and watching her films multiple times. When Foster enrolled at Yale University in 1980, Hinckley moved to New Haven, Connecticut, and attempted to contact her repeatedly. He slipped poems and love letters into her mailbox and tried to reach her by phone, but Foster did not respond.

By late 1980, Hinckley’s mental health had deteriorated further. He had been arrested for possession of handguns in Nashville and Denver but was released after his parents intervened. He began to fantasize about gaining national attention to impress Foster. He considered hijacking a plane or taking his own life, but eventually settled on the idea of assassinating the president.

On March 28, 1981, Hinckley checked into the Park Central Hotel in Washington, D.C., less than two miles from the White House. He purchased a box of .22 caliber bullets from a pawn shop and wrote a final letter to Foster, which read: “Over the past seven months I’ve left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages… The reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you.” He mailed the letter that morning.

Two days later, Ronald Reagan was scheduled to address labor leaders at the Washington Hilton. The hotel had a secure, enclosed walkway known as “the President’s Walk” designed to protect dignitaries from snipers, a response to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. Security for Reagan’s appearance was handled jointly by the Secret Service, Washington Metropolitan Police, and hotel security.

At 2:25 p.m., Reagan finished his address and began walking toward the exit with his entourage. Outside, a crowd of journalists and bystanders gathered behind a rope line. Hinckley, standing among them, waited for Reagan to appear. He carried a Röhm RG-14 .22 caliber revolver in his coat pocket, loaded with six Devastator bullets—ammunition designed to explode on impact.

As Reagan emerged, James Brady stepped forward, followed by Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty. Hinckley drew his revolver and fired six shots in less than two seconds. The first bullet struck Brady in the head, shattering his brain’s right hemisphere. The second hit Delahanty in the back of the neck, ricocheting off his spinal cord. The third bullet missed. The fourth hit McCarthy in the abdomen as he turned to shield the president. The fifth bullet struck the limousine’s window frame. The sixth ricocheted off the limousine, striking Reagan under his left arm.

Secret Service agent Jerry Parr grabbed Reagan and shoved him into the limousine. At first, Reagan believed his rib was broken, but within minutes he began to cough up blood and his lips turned blue. Parr ordered the driver to take Reagan to George Washington University Hospital, located less than two miles away. The decision to go to the hospital rather than the White House likely saved Reagan’s life.

Meanwhile, the scene outside the Hilton was chaotic. Officer Delahanty and Agent McCarthy collapsed on the sidewalk, while bystanders rushed to help. James Brady lay motionless, bleeding heavily from his head wound. Hinckley was tackled by Secret Service agents and police, who wrestled him to the ground and confiscated his revolver. He did not resist arrest.

At the hospital, Reagan walked into the emergency room under his own power but soon collapsed from blood loss. Surgeons performed emergency thoracic surgery, removing the bullet and repairing Reagan’s punctured lung. The bullet had missed Reagan’s heart by less than an inch. Brady underwent hours of neurosurgery but suffered permanent brain damage, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Within an hour, news of the shooting spread worldwide. Vice President George H.W. Bush was en route from Texas and would later arrive in Washington to assure continuity of government. The White House issued updates on Reagan’s condition, and the nation waited anxiously for news.

Investigators at the scene began collecting evidence immediately. The Secret Service and D.C. police secured the area, interviewing witnesses and recovering spent shell casings. Hinckley was taken to the Metropolitan Police headquarters for questioning. He offered little explanation for his actions but confirmed his identity and admitted he had acted alone.

The revolver Hinckley used was traced to a pawn shop in Dallas, Texas, where he had purchased it months earlier. Ballistics analysis matched the bullets recovered at the scene and from victims’ bodies to the weapon. The Secret Service reviewed security camera footage, which showed Hinckley waiting behind the rope line and drawing his revolver as Reagan approached.

FBI agents searched Hinckley’s hotel room at the Park Central, discovering letters addressed to Jodie Foster, as well as a copy of “Catcher in the Rye,” newspaper clippings about Reagan, and a roadmap of Washington, D.C. The letter he mailed to Foster was intercepted by the FBI the following day. Its contents provided a clear motive: Hinckley believed assassinating the president would make him famous in Foster’s eyes.

Forensic psychologists evaluated Hinckley and determined he suffered from several mental illnesses, including narcissistic personality disorder and major depressive disorder. He was charged with 13 offenses, including attempted assassination of the president and assault with a deadly weapon.

The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Adelman. The case went to trial in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., in May 1982. Hinckley’s defense attorneys presented an insanity defense, arguing he was unable to distinguish right from wrong due to his mental illness. They called expert witnesses who testified to Hinckley’s long history of emotional disturbance and delusional thinking.

Prosecutors countered that Hinckley’s actions were premeditated, citing the letter he mailed to Foster and the purchase of the revolver and ammunition. They argued he was aware of the consequences and had planned the attack carefully.

The jury deliberated for five days. On June 21, 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on all charges. He was committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Washington, D.C.

The verdict sparked national outrage. Many Americans believed justice had not been served, and Congress soon passed the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984. The new law made it more difficult for defendants to claim insanity by requiring proof that a severe mental disease rendered the defendant unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of their actions.

James Brady and his wife, Sarah, became advocates for gun control after the shooting. In 1993, Congress passed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which mandated federal background checks for firearm purchasers. The law was named in honor of James Brady, whose life was forever changed by Hinckley’s bullet.

Reagan recovered from his wounds and returned to the White House 12 days after the shooting. His approval rating surged to 73 percent, the highest of his presidency. Reagan’s resilience was credited with reassuring the public and projecting strength amid crisis.

Medical records from George Washington University Hospital showed that Reagan lost over 1,500 milliliters of blood—nearly one-third of his total blood volume—during surgery. His survival was considered remarkable, given the proximity of the bullet to his heart.

Hinckley remained at St. Elizabeths Hospital for more than three decades. Over time, he was granted increasing privileges, including supervised visits with his family and unsupervised trips outside the hospital. In 2016, a federal judge ruled that Hinckley no longer posed a threat to himself or others and allowed him to live with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, under strict conditions.

The attempted assassination of a sitting president was the first since the shooting of Gerald Ford in 1975. The attack led to sweeping changes in Secret Service protocols, including increased use of armored vehicles, improved crowd screening, and more rigorous background checks for staff and volunteers at presidential events.

During the investigation, the Secret Service retraced Hinckley’s movements in the weeks before the attack, discovering that he had stalked Jimmy Carter and attempted to purchase firearms in multiple states using false identification. These findings underscored the challenges of monitoring individuals with violent fantasies who move across state lines.

The shooting led to the creation of the James S. Brady Presidential Protection Division within the Secret Service, focused on the protection of the president and other senior government officials. The division developed new training programs and security procedures, including the use of counter-assault teams and enhanced threat assessment protocols.

In the aftermath, the mental health system in the United States came under renewed scrutiny. Hinckley’s case highlighted the gaps in treatment for individuals with severe psychiatric disorders who showed signs of violent ideation but had not committed crimes prior to their attacks.

Media coverage of the attack was immediate and global. News networks interrupted regular programming, and live updates from outside the hospital became a national focus. The ABC News bulletin announcing, “There has been an attempt on the life of President Reagan,” was broadcast within minutes of the shooting.

Surveillance photographs from the hotel exit captured the exact moment of the attack, showing Agent McCarthy shielding Reagan and Hinckley extending his arm from the crowd. These images became iconic, symbolizing the peril faced by public officials and the split-second decisions made by security personnel.

The bullets fired by Hinckley were manufactured by Winchester-Western and contained lead azide, a chemical designed to explode on impact. Forensic analysis determined that only one bullet actually detonated—the one that struck Brady—causing the most severe injury.

Officer Thomas Delahanty, who was struck in the neck, survived his injuries but retired from the police force due to partial paralysis. Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, shot in the abdomen, recovered and later became chief of police in Orland Park, Illinois. Both men received the Medal of Valor from their respective agencies.

At the time of the attack, Reagan was 70 years old, making him the oldest President to survive an assassination attempt. The incident renewed debates about presidential security, the accessibility of firearms, and the role of mental health in preventing acts of political violence.

The psychiatric evaluation presented at trial revealed that Hinckley had considered targeting other politicians, including Senator Edward Kennedy and then-President Jimmy Carter, before settling on Reagan. These findings were based on journals and notes found in his hotel room and interviews with mental health professionals.

James Brady’s injury resulted in permanent aphasia, a condition affecting speech and language comprehension. His wife, Sarah Brady, became chair of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, one of the largest gun control advocacy groups in the United States.

The limousine used to transport Reagan, known as “The Beast,” was a 1972 Lincoln Continental modified with armor plating and bulletproof glass. The vehicle was later replaced with more advanced armored cars as a direct result of the vulnerabilities exposed during the attack.

The attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan remains one of the most studied crimes in modern U.S. history, referenced in security training and criminal justice textbooks. The forensic evidence, trial transcripts, and eyewitness accounts have been archived by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Hinckley’s obsession with Jodie Foster continued to raise questions about the intersection of celebrity, media, and criminal motivation. After the trial, Foster issued a public statement expressing sympathy for the victims and condemning Hinckley’s actions, but she refused to give interviews or discuss the incident publicly for decades.

The Washington Hilton, site of the attack, is still used for presidential events, but now features enhanced security measures, including permanent barriers and restricted access points. The hotel’s “President’s Walk” remains one of the most secure approaches for dignitaries in Washington, D.C.

The Reagan shooting was the impetus for the rapid expansion of federal background checks on firearm purchases. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed into law in 1993 after a seven-year legislative campaign led by Sarah Brady and other advocates.

John Hinckley Jr. sold his story rights to various media outlets after his release, but court orders prevent him from profiting from the assassination attempt or contacting the victims and their families in any form.

The Secret Service’s internal review after the shooting found that the agency had not identified Hinckley as a threat prior to the attack, despite his arrest in Nashville and known mental health history. This failure led to the establishment of a threat assessment center dedicated to monitoring individuals who make threats against public officials.

Hinckley’s psychiatric treatment at St. Elizabeths included cognitive therapy, group counseling, and regular evaluations by a court-appointed psychiatrist. His conditional release in 2016 included requirements for regular therapy sessions, restrictions on travel, and bans on owning firearms or contacting Jodie Foster.

The bullet removed from Reagan’s chest was preserved as evidence and later displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History as part of a presidential history exhibit.

James Brady died in 2014, more than three decades after the shooting. The Virginia medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications from the gunshot wound he received in 1981. This made Brady’s death one of the longest intervals between injury and subsequent homicide determination in U.S. legal history.