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Reagan Foundation Upset With Judge's Decision For Unconditional Release Of Man Who Tried To Assassinate President

The scene outside of a Washington, D.C. hotel following the March, 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. The President and three others were seriously wounded.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
/
Reagan Library
The scene outside of a Washington, D.C. hotel following the March, 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. The President and three others were seriously wounded.

John Hinkley Junior now eligible for unconditional release in summer of 2022.

The Ventura County-based Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is opposing a judge’s decision to unconditionally release the man who seriously wounded President Reagan and three others.

A judge ruled that if John Hinckley, Junior continues to meet the restrictions of his current release, he will no longer require supervision as of June 2022.

As a young man, Hinckley became obsessed with the movie Taxi Driver, and one of its young stars, actress Jodi Foster. In an effort to impress Foster, he ambushed President Reagan’s entourage as the President was leaving a Washington D.C. hotel.

The President, and three other people were seriously wounded. One of them, Press Secretary James Brady, never fully recovered. He died as a result of brain injuries in 2014.

Hinckley was found not guilty of the shooting by reason of insanity. In 2016, he was allowed to move out of a mental hospital to live in the community under supervision.

In a statement, Reagan Foundation officials say they still believe Hinckley is a threat to others, and they strongly oppose his release. They hope the Justice Department will file a motion to appeal the court’s decision.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.