Ronald Reagan’s would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr pictured shopping on his first day of freedom 35 years after shooting
Gunman, who tried to assassinate US President in 1981, has been released after a judge ruled he 'no longer posed a danger'
RONALD Reagan’s would-be killer has been pictured marking his first day of freedom with a shopping trip.
Obsessed John Hinckley fired six shots injuring Reagan and others outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington in 1981, in a bizarre bid to "impress" actress Jodie Foster.
Back in the open . . . John Hinckley Jr snapped doing his shopping 35 years after shooting
Now 61, he was released from St. Elizabeths Hospital, in Washington D.C. on Saturday after a .
He was seen bagging bargain clothes in Williamsburg, Virginia, in his first public appearance for 35 years.
Hinckley was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity and was kept in a psychiatric hospital for more than 20 years.
ABC News footage captured the shocking moment Reagan was shot as he waved to the crowd - just weeks after he became president.
The clip shows chaotic scenes as a barrage of Secret Service agents storm to hold shooter Hinckley down on the ground while others rush tend to the injured.
Reagan was shot in the lung, but recovered.
His press secretary James Brady, who was shot in the head, suffered brain damage and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Mr Brady's death in 2014 at the age of 73 was ruled as homicide - but no further charges against Hinckley were brought.
Two other police officers were injured in the shooting.
Hinckley, who successfully pleaded insanity, was diagnosed with acute psychosis, major depression and narcissistic personality disorder.
During his decades-long of rehabilitation, the troubled loner is said to have grown fond of art classes, begun volunteering at a local library and taken time to care for cats living on the grounds of the mental hospital.
Reagan's daughter Patti Davis, who has always believed Hinckley was trying to cheat the legal system said after the ruling that lead to his release: "Forgiving someone in your heart doesn’t mean that you let them loose in Virginia to pursue whatever dark agendas they may still hold dear.
"If John Hinckley is haunted by anything, I think it’s that he didn’t succeed in his mission to assassinate the president."
Hinckley, now 61, will live with his 90-year-old mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has to see a psychiatest two times a month as part of his release deal.
He is banned from speaking to the press and must work three days a week.
He will be allowed to drive no more than 30 miles from his mother's home or 50 miles if accompanied.
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, died in 2004, aged 93, after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade.