Namely, on March 30, 1981, then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt outside this hotel in Washington. The attacker, John Hinckley Jr., opened fire as Reagan was leaving an event and heading toward the presidential limousine.
A bullet fired from a revolver ricocheted off the vehicle and struck Reagan in the area below his left armpit, breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing severe internal bleeding. He was rushed into surgery at George Washington University Hospital and was discharged on April 11 of the same year.
According to later findings, the attacker was obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and attempted the assassination to get her attention after watching her in the film *Taxi Driver*.
Three other people were wounded in the attack: White House Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and police officer Thomas Delahanty. All survived, but Brady suffered severe brain damage and remained permanently disabled. He died in 2014 from the effects of his injuries.
Although Reagan was seriously injured, the 25th Amendment, which governs the transfer of presidential powers in the event of incapacity, was not formally activated at the time. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Alexander Haig stated that he was "in charge" until Vice President George H. W. Bush returned to Washington.
A year later, on June 21, 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric facility, where he spent more than three decades.
In 2015, federal prosecutors decided not to charge him for Brady's death, even though it was officially classified as a homicide. Hinckley was finally released in 2016.