John Hinckley Jr calls Trump press gala shooting at same hotel he shot Reagan ‘spooky’
Key Points:
- John Hinckley Jr., who shot Ronald Reagan at the Washington Hilton in 1981, described the recent shooting at the same hotel during a White House press dinner as "spooky" and criticized the venue's security as "lax."
- The 2024 incident involved an armed guest firing at a Secret Service agent, leading to the cancellation of the event despite heightened security measures that protected President Trump and others.
- Hinckley, found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982 and fully released from supervision in 2022, expressed concern about the hotel's safety for large events and reflected on the eerie coincidence of the two shootings occurring at the same location.
- The suspect in the 2024 shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate the president, and his manifesto criticized the event's security as "insane."
- The Washington Hilton stated it followed Secret Service security protocols, while Hinckley has publicly condemned political violence, urging peace after a previous assassination attempt on Trump.