Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan
| Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan | |
|---|---|
Reagan waves shortly before he is shot. From left are advance man Rick Ahearn; Jerry Parr, in a white trench coat, who pushed Reagan into the limousine; White House press secretary James Brady, who was disabled by a gunshot to the head; Reagan; aide Michael Deaver; an unidentified policeman; policeman Thomas Delahanty, who was shot in the neck; and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, who was shot in the chest. | |
| Location | Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Coordinates | 38°54′58″N 77°02′43″W / 38.9161°N 77.0454°W |
| Date | March 30, 1981 2:27 p.m. (Eastern Time) |
| Target | Ronald Reagan |
Attack type | Attempted assassination (Reagan), attempted homicide (Tim McCarthy and Delahanty), shooting |
| Weapons | Röhm RG-14 |
| Deaths | 1 (James Brady[a]) |
| Injured | 3 (Ronald Reagan, Tim McCarthy, Thomas Delahanty) |
| Perpetrator | John Hinckley Jr. |
| Motive | Attempt to gain the attention of Jodie Foster; mental illness |
| Verdict | Not guilty by reason of insanity |
| Charges | 13 counts[b] |
| Sentence | Institutionalization |
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Entertainment and personal
33rd Governor of California
40th President of the United States
Tenure
Policies
Presidential campaigns
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On March 30, 1981, Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States, was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C., as Reagan was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton hotel. Hinckley believed the attack would impress the actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had developed an erotomanic obsession after viewing her in the 1976 film Taxi Driver.
Reagan was seriously wounded by a revolver bullet that ricocheted off the side of the presidential limousine and hit him in the left underarm, breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing serious internal bleeding. He underwent emergency exploratory surgery at George Washington University Hospital, and was released on April 11. No formal invocation of sections 3 or 4 of the U.S. Constitution's Twenty-fifth Amendment (concerning the vice president assuming the president's powers and duties) took place, though Secretary of State Alexander Haig stated that he was "in control here" at the White House until Vice President George H. W. Bush returned to Washington from Fort Worth, Texas. Haig was fourth in the line of succession after Bush, Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, and President pro tempore of the Senate Strom Thurmond.
White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty were also wounded. All three survived, but Brady suffered brain damage and was permanently disabled; he died in 2014 as a result of his injury.[2][5]
On June 21, 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of attempting to assassinate the president. He remained confined to St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Washington, D.C. In 2015, federal prosecutors announced that they would not charge Hinckley with Brady's death, despite the medical examiner's classification of his death as a homicide.[6] Hinckley was discharged from his institutional psychiatric care in 2016.
- ^ "James Brady's death ruled a homicide, police say". CNN.com. August 9, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ a b "Medical examiner rules James Brady's death a homicide". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ "James Brady's Death Was a Homicide, Medical Examiner Rules". NBCWashington.com. August 8, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Pear, Robert (August 25, 1981). "JURY INDICTS HINCKLEY ON 13 COUNTS BASED ON SHOOTING OF PRESIDENT". The New York Times.
- ^ Corasaniti, Nick (August 8, 2014). "Coroner Is Said to Rule James Brady's Death a Homicide, 33 Years After a Shooting". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ Hermann, Peter (January 2, 2015). "Hinckley won't face murder charge in death of James Brady, prosecutors say". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
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