March 30, 1981, should have been just another day for President Ronald Reagan. Just 69 days after his inauguration, the president was giving a speech to about 5,000 members of the AFL-CIO at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
At around 2:30 p.m., Reagan left the hotel, waving to supporters as security walked him to his limousine. Waiting in the crowd, however, was John Hinckley Jr., a mentally ill young man with a .22 revolver and an intent to murder.
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