Three people were injured during the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Today’s incident, in which a teacher opened fire during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, took place at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue—the same hotel where Reagan was shot and wounded in 1981.
The shooting occurred on March 30, 1981, when the attacker, John Hinckley Jr., fired at Reagan as he was returning to his limousine after a speech inside the hotel. Reagan survived but was seriously injured by a bullet that ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck him in the chest, breaking a rib and puncturing a lung. He was rushed to George Washington University Hospital and was eventually discharged on April 11.
Then-White House Press Secretary James Brady was also wounded in the incident, along with a Secret Service agent and a local Metropolitan Police officer.
Brady suffered severe brain injuries and remained disabled for the rest of his life. His injuries contributed to his death in 2014.
The following year, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was confined to a high-security ward at St. Elizabeths Hospital until his release in 2016.
A commemorative plaque still marks the site of the shooting on the side of the hotel.
Meanwhile, a video circulating online reportedly shows the suspect firing at security personnel near the hall where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was expected to take place.
