Just 69 days into his presidency, Ronald Reagan was struck by a bullet that ricocheted off his limousine and lodged near his heart, fired by John Hinckley Jr. outside a Washington Hilton hotel. Press Secretary James Brady suffered a severe brain injury. Reagan underwent emergency surgery and joked with doctors beforehand, quipping, 'I hope you're all Republicans.'
Ronald Reagan had just finished addressing a labor conference at the Washington Hilton when John Hinckley Jr., a 25-year-old drifter obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and the film 'Taxi Driver,' opened fire with a .22 caliber revolver loaded with exploding Devastator bullets. Six shots rang out in less than two seconds.
One bullet ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan under his left arm, collapsing a lung and lodging an inch from his heart. Press Secretary James Brady was shot in the head and left permanently disabled. A police officer and a Secret Service agent were also wounded. Reagan, 70 years old, walked into George Washington University Hospital under his own power before collapsing.
Surgeons removed the bullet in an operation lasting several hours. Reagan's composure became legendary: besides the Republican quip to doctors, he told his wife Nancy, 'Honey, I forgot to duck,' echoing boxer Jack Dempsey. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, a verdict that triggered a national backlash and led many states to tighten insanity-defense laws. Brady, left partially paralyzed, later became a prominent advocate for gun control, lending his name to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993.
Key people: Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley Jr., James Brady