STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A planned guitar concert in New York City by John Hinckley Jr., who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 but was found not-guilty of the assassination attempt by reason of insanity, has been canceled by the venue that booked the performance, according to multiple media reports.
Hinckley Jr., had just been released from court supervision Wednesday and planned to celebrate his freedom by performing at the hotel, Reuters reported.
Management at The Market Hotel in Brooklyn, which had booked Hinckley Jr., said on Instagram Wednesday that the July 8 concert was canceled due a slew of threats.
“There was a time when a place could host a thing like this, maybe a little offensive, and the reaction would be ‘it’s just a guy playing a show, who does it hurt – it’s a free country.’” the post reads. “We aren’t living in that kind of free country anymore, for better or for worse.”
Hinckley has released songs on Spotify and has previously posted videos of himself singing and playing a guitar on YouTube, according to the Associate Press.
Hinckley, back in 1981, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the attempted assassination of Reagan in Washington D.C. The former president was seriously wounded in the incident and his press secretary, James Brady, was permanently disabled, The AP reported.
Hinckley, 25 years old at the time, was reportedly inspired to shoot Reagan in an attempt to impress actress Jodi Foster.
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