John Hinckley Jr.

John Warnock Hinckley Jr., born on May 29, 1955, is an American man infamously known for his assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. This dramatic event unfolded on March 30, 1981, just two months after Reagan's inauguration, when Hinckley fired a revolver as the president exited the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The attack resulted in injuries to Reagan, police officer Thomas Delahanty, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and White House Press Secretary James Brady, the latter of whom was left disabled and ultimately succumbed to his injuries thirty-three years later.

Hinckley's motivations were deeply rooted in a fixation on actress Jodie Foster, which began after he watched her performance in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film, Taxi Driver. This obsession led him to believe that the assassination attempt would win her admiration. Following the incident, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, a verdict that sparked significant public outcry and prompted legislative changes regarding insanity defenses in the United States.

For over three decades, Hinckley remained under institutional psychiatric care. However, in 2016, a federal judge determined that he no longer posed a threat to himself or others, allowing for his release under strict conditions. By 2020, he was granted permission to publicly showcase his artistic endeavors, including music and writings, which he had previously shared anonymously. He has since established a YouTube channel to share his music with the world.

In 2025, Hinckley published his autobiography, titled John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am, through Wild Blue Press. This work provides a comprehensive account of his life, detailing his upbringing, the origins of his fixation on Foster, the planning and execution of the shooting, the subsequent trial, his years of institutionalization, and his eventual release.