The man who shot President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton hotel in 1981 is speaking out following the recent shooting and alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In an interview with TMZ published on Monday, April 27, John Hinckley said it was “spooky” to find out the recent shooting “took place at the same hotel as mine did.”
Hinckley, 70, is calling on the hotel to stop holding events “because bad things keep happening,” adding that “it’s just not a secure place to hold big events.”
In a statement to People on Monday, a Washington Hilton spokesperson said that staff and guests’ well-being and safety are their “top priority.”
“The hotel was operating under stringent security protocols for the property as directed by the U.S. Secret Service, which led security for the event in coordination with a wide range of security teams, including local Washington, D.C. police and hotel security,” the statement continued.
Hinckley shot Reagan and three other individuals in March 1981. At the time, the John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am author claimed his motivation for the assassination attempt on Reagan was to impress actress Jodie Foster.
He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and spent more than 30 years in psychiatric institutions before his September 2016 release. He was later freed from all court restrictions in June 2022.
In his latest interview with TMZ, Hinckley claims that when he showed up to the hotel in 1981, the security was “lax” because he was able to sneak into a crowd of reporters without showing anyone any identification. He claimed Secret Service agents never checked whether he was a reporter.
Over the weekend, gunfire was exchanged between a suspect and agents near the “main magnetometer” at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
A 31-year-old California native was quickly taken into custody following the shooting, reportedly armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. The engineer and part-time teacher appeared in court on Monday, where he was charged with three criminal counts, including an attempt to assassinate a president, per NBC News.
“Mr. Allen has no prior arrests or convictions,” court-appointed defense lawyer Tezira Abe said. “He is presumed innocent at this time.”
“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump, 79, wrote via his Truth Social platform hours after the shooting. “The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement.”
The event was ultimately canceled after many attendees chose to safely leave the venue. The president has claimed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days, though safety concerns continue to linger as Secret Service protocols are called into question by Congress.
