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On March 30, 1981, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Hinckley fired a .22 caliber Röhm RG-14 revolver six times at President Reagan who was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., after addressing an AFL-CIO conference. Hinckley wounded press secretary James Brady, police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy. Hinckley did not hit Reagan directly, but seriously wounded him when a bullet ricocheted off the side of the presidential limousine and hit him in the chest. Hinckley made no attempt to escape and was arrested at the scene. All of the shooting victims survived, although Brady, who was hit in the right side of the head, endured a long recuperation period and remains paralyzed on the left side of his body.
Hinckley was charged with 13 offenses. The trial concluded on June 21st with Hinckley being found not guilty by reason of insanity. The psychiatric reports presented as part of his defence evidence all found him to be insane. The psychiatric reports presented by the prosecution all declared Hinckley to be legally sane. Apparently the jury was left with a reasonable doubt based on the conflict in this evidence.
Hinckley was confined at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. He remains hospitalized, and is allowed to leave the hospital for visits with family. Recently, a forensic psychologist at the hospital testified that "Hinckley has recovered to the point that he poses no imminent risk of danger to himself or others." Hinckley returned to court earlier this year seeking his release. He was granted additional family visits in May 2011.
The verdict in the case resulted in Congress and a number of states rewriting laws regarding the insanity defense. Three states (Idaho, Montana, and Utah) abolished the defense altogether.Hinckley's parents wrote a book during 1985 about their son's mental condition entitled Breaking Points.