John Hinckley, Ronald Reagan’s would-be assassin, was released from a Washington, D.C. psychiatric hospital Saturday more than 35 years after he was committed over the attempt on the president’s life.
Mr. Hinckley, 61, was released Saturday from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, CBS confirmed. He is expected to reside with his elderly mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.
A federal judge ruled in July that Hinckley no longer poses a danger to himself or the public, and has had “no signs of psychotic symptoms, delusional thinking or any violent tendencies.”
Mr. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he wounded Mr. Reagan, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty and White House press secretary James Brady outside a Washington, D.C. hotel on March 30, 1981.
In all, Mr. Hinckley fired six shots, critically injuring Reagan weeks into his presidency and leaving Mr. Brady paralyzed until his death 33 years later. Mr. McCarthy now serves as a police chief in Illinois and Mr. Delahanty retired on disability after the assassination attempt and lives near Pittsburgh, according to Fox News.
Mr. Hinckley said prior to the assassination attempt that he was driven to act due to an obsession with actress Jodie Foster. A judge has barred him from communicating with Foster, the press or members of the Reagan and Brady families.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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