‘I stand for peace now’: Man who shot Ronald Reagan to perform concert in Connecticut

NAUGATUCK, Conn. (WTNH) — John Hinckley, who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is headed to Naugatuck, Connecticut, to perform a concert.

The controversial musician is set to perform at Hotel Huxley later this month.

Hinckley said he’s hoping people will give him a second chance and listen to his folk music.

“I want people to know that I’m coming in peace, I stand for peace now,” he said. “I know I’m known for an act of violence, but I’m a completely different person than in 1981.”

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Hinckley was 25 and suffering from acute psychosis when his gunshots wounded Reagan and three others on March 30, 1981, according to The Associated Press. The assassination attempt paralyzed Reagan press secretary James Brady, who died in 2014. A police officer and a Secret Service agent were also wounded.

After being found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982, Hinckley — who had also become obsessed with actress Jodie Foster at the time of the 1981 shooting — spent decades in a psychiatric hospital before his release in 2022.

He said this would be his first live performance. Other venues have booked him only to cancel at the last minute. His shows have previously been canceled in New York, Virginia and Hamden, Connecticut, the Connecticut Post reported.

Now, the newspaper reported, Hinckley is scheduled to perform “his acoustic-laden folk music” at what it described as “one of Connecticut’s newest concert venues.”

The show’s promoter said he’s willing to give Hinckley a second chance, and said other people should, too.

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Hinckley’s concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 30, the anniversary of the shooting.

Tickets are priced at $20 each, though Hinckley posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “advance tickets are available through Cash app and Venmo for $15.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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