Man who shot Reagan seeks unconditional release

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The man who shot and wounded US President Ronald Reagan in 1981 has asked for all restrictions imposed on him since his release from a psychiatric hospital two years ago to be lifted.

John Hinckley, now 63, was found not guilty by reason of insanity at a 1982 trial after he shot Reagan outside a Washington hotel in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster.

He was later diagnosed with depression and psychosis.

Both were in remission in 2016, his doctors said, and a federal judge found that Hinckley no longer posed a danger to himself or others.

Released from a Washington psychiatric hospital in September 2016, he has since resided with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, under a slew of conditions.

This file photo taken on March 1, 1981 shows John Hinckley in front of the White House in Washington, DC. /VCG Photo

These include requirements that he work or volunteer at least three days a week, that he limit his travel, allow law enforcement to track his movements and that he continue to meet with a psychiatrist, among other things.

Hinckley on April 30 asked a federal court in Washington for his unconditional release.

A hearing is planned for Dec. 10, and before that, a mental health expert is to report whether he would pose any danger if released under conditions to be set by the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health, according to a court filing dated Aug. 3.

Members of the Reagan family opposed Hinckley's release from the hospital in 2016, but representatives for Reagan's children did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reagan suffered a punctured lung in the 1981 attack but recovered quickly. His press secretary, James Brady, was left permanently disabled and eventually died of his injuries in 2014.

(Top picture: US President Ronald Reagan. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters