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| Source:ABC News- anchor Frank Reynolds, anchoring ABC News's Special Report of the attempted assassination of President Ronald W. Reagan. |
"ABC News live coverage of the president Ronald Reagan assassination attempt. March 30, 1981. Anchored by Frank Reynolds."
From Jim Heath
"On March 30, 1981, United States president Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton. Hinckley believed the attack would impress actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had developed an erotomanic obsession.
This must of looked like the JFK assassination at least early on, just seventeen and a half years later after President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. But this story was a little different with all the chaos that happened right after, like who was in charge of the Executive Branch with Vice President Bush being out of town. And the Reagan Cabinet not sure who should fill in until the Vice President was back in Washington. As well as Secretary of State Alexander Haige believing that he's automatically in charge of the administration, when both the President and Vice President are unavailable. Even though the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President come before the Secretary of State, when there needs to be someone to take over for the President.
Reagan was seriously wounded by a .22 Long Rifle bullet that ricocheted off the side of the presidential limousine and hit him in the left underarm, breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing serious internal bleeding. He was close to death upon arrival at George Washington University Hospital but was stabilized in the emergency room, then underwent emergency exploratory surgery.[5] He recovered and was released from the hospital on April 11. No formal invocation of sections #3 or #4 of the Constitution's 25th amendment (concerning the vice president assuming the president's powers and duties) took place, though Secretary of State Alexander Haig stated that he was "in control here" at the White House until Vice President George H. W. Bush returned to Washington from Fort Worth, Texas.
White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and DC police officer Thomas Delahanty were also wounded. All three survived, but Brady suffered brain damage and was permanently disabled. His death in 2014 was considered a homicide because it was ultimately caused by his injury.[2][6]
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of attempting to assassinate the president. He remained confined to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a DC psychiatric facility. In January 2015, federal prosecutors announced that they would not charge Hinckley with Brady's death, despite the medical examiner's classification of his death as a homicide.[7] Hinckley was released from institutional psychiatric care on September 10, 2016."
From Wikipedia
This must of looked like the JFK assassination at least early on, just seventeen and a half years later after President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. But this story was a little different with all the chaos that happened right after, like who was in charge of the Executive Branch with Vice President Bush being out of town. And the Reagan Cabinet not sure who should fill in until the Vice President was back in Washington. As well as Secretary of State Alexander Haige believing that he's automatically in charge of the administration, when both the President and Vice President are unavailable. Even though the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President come before the Secretary of State, when there needs to be someone to take over for the President.
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