50 years of US presidential assassinations and attempts
On July 13, gunshots rang out at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of the shots grazed the former president's right ear but did not seriously injure him. Two attendees at the rally were seriously wounded, and one was killed. Secret Service agents shot and killed the gunman.
US investigators at the FBI have not released details on what they believe may have motivated the 20-year-old man to shoot at the former president during a campaign rally . US media reports suggest the suspect, who was killed at the scene, was a Republican, although he once donated money to a Democratic fundraising platform.
The attack is being treated as an "assassination attempt," the FBI said. For many Americans, the shooting recalls similar attempts in US history, such as the shooting of Ronald Reagan and the Kennedys.
A lone gunman shot President Ronald Regan as he was leaving a speaking engagement at the Hilton hotel in Washington. The gunman, John Hinckley, Jr., fired from the crowd around Reagan's limousine. Hinckley was 25 at the time and was suffering from acute psychosis. He thought if he shot Reagan, actress Jodie Foster might notice him. In 1982, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and ordered to undergo treatment at a psychiatric hospital.
Reagan spent almost two weeks in the hospital after one of Hinckley's bullets ricocheted off the presidential limousine and hit him. It grazed a rib and narrowly missed his heart. Reagan's public approval ratings went up after the assassination attempt.
Hinckley was freed from........
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