Would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr. to be freed after 35 years?

News of the planned release of would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr. after 35 years at a psychiatric hospital was met with strong opposition Wednesday by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, which insisted he is still a danger to society.

“John Hinckley is responsible for the shooting of President Reagan and three other brave men,” according to the Simi Valley-based foundation. “One died two years ago from the wounds he received. Contrary to the judge’s decision, we believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others and we strongly oppose his release. They are all lives that matter dearly to us.”

U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman in Washington, D.C., ruled earlier today that Hinckley should be released from a psychiatric hospital and be allowed to live with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia. The judge ordered that he can be released as early as Aug. 5, subject to a list of conditions, including continuing treatment and monitoring.

Hinckley, now 61, shot Reagan and three other people in a failed assassination attempt on March 30, 1981, while the president was walking out of the Washington Hilton. Reagan was wounded but recovered. His press secretary, James Brady, was shot in the head, leaving him paralyzed. Brady died in 2014.

Also shot were U.S. Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy and Washington, D.C., police officer Thomas Delahanty.

Hinckley, who said he shot Reagan in a bid to impress actress Jodie Foster, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982.

—City News Service