Reagan shooter John Hinckley finds it 'spooky' gunman targeted same hotel

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on Apr 27, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

John Hinckley Jr. says it’s “spooky” that a gunman opened fire inside the same Washington, D.C. hotel where he shot President Reagan and three others in 1981.

The 70-year-old failed assassin pleaded insanity after shooting the nation’s 40th president along with Press Secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent and a police officer outside the Washington Hilton. Hinckley was institutionalized for more than 30 years before the courts ruled that he’d been rehabilitated and granted him unconditional release in 2022.

He told TMZ after a shooter was apprehended at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner that it seems “bad things keep happening” at that venue, which, in his opinion, is “not a secure place” to hold high-profile events.

Hinckley said he was able to evade detection 45 years ago by blending in with a pool of reporters outside the hotel. He learned the property was in the news again when an alert popped up on his phone.

Police identified Saturday night’s shooter as California educator Cole Tomas Allen. He’s accused of shooting one Secret Service agent, who was wearing a bulletproof vest. President Trump said that officer was “doing great” after being shot. The alleged shooter’s motive wasn’t immediately clear.

Hinckley attempted to launch a career as a musician after being freed, but some music venues expressed concern about hosting him. He published an autobiography in December titled “Who I Really Am.”

Hinckley condemned violence after Trump was shot during a 2024 campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

“Violence is not the way to go,” he posted on social media. “Give peace a chance.”

_____