John Hinckley Jr., Who Shot President Reagan In 1981, Is Now A Singer/Songwriter

Hinckley's 1981 booking photo

Another guy trying to make it as a Country singer/songwriter wouldn't normally be news, unless that guy happens to be would-be presidential assassin JOHN HINCKLEY JR. The man who shot then President RONALD REAGAN in the lung and wounded three other people in 1981 "has been posting his original songs on YOUTUBE for the past 10 months, but joined SPOTIFY just this past week, a fact he noted on TWITTER, which he also just joined," the HUFFPOST reports, noting that some of the songs are also on APPLE MUSIC and other streaming platforms.

In an OCTOBER 19th tweet, HINCKLEY wrote, "Hello everybody, this is the real JOHN HINCKLEY. I’m now a singer/songwriter. I have 10 original songs on SPOTIFY and the other streaming sites. Check them out. Also, check out my YOUTUBE channel." In another tweet the same day, he wrote, “Today’s Country music is lousy. I like the classic Country sound from the ‘50s and ‘60s. You can hear it in my Country songs.” Another post seemed to indicate he’s seeking a manager: “I’m looking for a Colonel TOM PARKER.” And a tweet he posted TODAY (10/21) said, “I think it’s time to do some live shows.”

In just two days, HINCKLEY has already gained more than 8,000 TWITTER followers, although many of the comments on his posts seem designed to troll. “Shoot me a DM,” one TWITTER user wrote, adding, “hmmm, maybe bad word choice.”

HINCKLEY was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982, and held in a psychiatric detention facility until 2016, when he was released to the care of his mother in WILLIAMSBURG, VA, subject to court-imposed restrictions. Late last month, a federal judge ruled that those restriction can be lifted next JUNE, after finding that HINCKLEY, now 66, "has displayed no symptoms of active mental illness, no violent behavior and no interest in weapons since 1983," according to the ASSOCIATED PRESS. His mother died in JULY.

The 1981 shooting by the then 25-year-old HINCKLEY left REAGAN's Press Secretary, JAMES BRADY, partially paralyzed from a bullet to the head. BRADY went on to become a gun control advocate until his death in 2014. A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by the earlier gunshot wound, but HINCKLEY was not charged in his death. HINCKLEY also wounded a SECRET SERVICE agent and a WASHINGTON, DC police officer in the shooting.

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