John Hinckley Jr. says ‘violence is not the way’ after Trump shooting

John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot former President Reagan in a failed assassination attempt, denounced violence in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Trump last weekend.

“Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance,” Hinckley wrote Wednesday on social platform X.

It comes days after Trump was injured at a campaign rally last Saturday, in what authorities are investigating as an attempt on his life. The shooting, which occurred at a rally in Butler, Pa., killed one spectator and injured two others. The former president said a bullet grazed his ear.

The suspected shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was fatally shot by authorities moments after he fired at the former president.

Hinckley, who received his full, unconditional release in June 2022, was 25 years old in 1981 when he shot Reagan, along with White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty in Washington.

Reagan was seriously injured and underwent surgery, while Brady was left partially paralyzed and with brain damage. Brady died in 2014.

Hinckley at the time said he tried to kill Reagan to impress actress Jodie Foster and was found not guilty of the charges by reason of insanity in 1982.

Some users on X mocked Hinckley for his call for peace Monday.

One user replied, “dude you literally SHOT THE 40TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,” while another said, “Didn’t you try to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981 to gain the attention of Jodie Foster?!”

In the wake of the attempted assassination against his life, Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for unity and to lower the political temperature — though some speakers at this week’s Republican convention have continued to employ fiery rhetoric.

Restrictions on Hinckley were gradually lifted over the years. In 2016, he was permitted to leave a mental and health facility but was still required to follow restrictions on his travel and internet activity.

In 2022 following his unconditional release, Hinckley said he was a “completely different person in mind and spirit” from his younger self. Hinckley, who resides in Williamsburg, Va., said he is happy he did not succeed in killing Reagan and does not have much memory of his feelings on the day of the attempted assassination.