Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption ABC News footage of the moment President Reagan was shot in March, 1981

John Hinckley Jr, the man who tried to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan, has been released from a psychiatric hospital after 35 years.

Mr Reagan and three others were injured in the shooting outside a hotel in Washington in March 1981.

Mr Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity but was sent for treatment to a Washington hospital.

In July, a judge ruled that Mr Hinckley, now 61, was not a danger to himself or the public.

Mr Hinckley had already been spending 17 days a month at his mother's home in Virginia under strict conditions.

Associated Press reported that he had arrived at her home having been freed on Saturday.

Marking 30 years since Reagan's shooting

Life after shooting a US president

Image copyright AP Image caption John Hinckley Jr was found not guilty due to his psychiatric problems (file photo from 2003)

As part of his release he will:

be banned from speaking to the press;

have to work three days a week;

be allowed to drive no more than 30 miles (48km) from his mother's home, or 50 miles if accompanied;

see a psychiatrist two times a month

The shooting, just weeks into Ronald Reagan's presidency, shocked the world.

Mr Reagan was shot in the lung, but recovered.

His press secretary James Brady was shot in the head, suffered brain damage and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Mr Brady's death in 2014 at the age of 73 was ruled to be a homicide, but no further charges against Hinckley were brought.

Two law enforcement officers suffered less serious injuries in the shooting.

US District Judge Paul Friedman's judgement points to medical assessments which showed that Mr Hinckley had had "no symptoms of active mental illness" since 1983.

He had shot the president in an apparent bid to impress the actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had an obsession and whom he had subjected to what would now be termed stalking.

John Hinckley Jr's psychiatric history

Image copyright AP Image caption John Hinckley Jr (left, seen in 2015) has already been spending a lot of time with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia

The court order and opinion available on the website of the US District Court for the District of Columbia spell out the terms of Mr Hinckley's release, and detail his psychiatric history and treatment:</s>The man who attempted to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan has been freed from a psychiatric hospital after more than 35 years.

John Hinckley Jr was discharged on Saturday to live full-time with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.

US District Judge Paul L Friedman ruled he no longer poses a danger to himself or others.

Local media, including The Washington Post, reported that Hinckley was officially released from St. Elizabeth's on Saturday, the date he was scheduled to be freed.

A hospital employee who answered the phone refused to comment on patients to the media.
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The 61-year-old attempted to assassinate Reagan and shot three others outside the Washington Hilton on March 30, 1981.

After his arrest he told police he had tried to kill the President in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster.

Doctors have argued for several years Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting, is no longer suffering from he mental illness that drove him to carry out the assassination attempt.

In late 2003, Hinckley began leaving St. Elizabeth’s hospital for day visits with parents, who now live in Williamsburg.

Residents of the town have seemed largely unfazed by the prospect of Hinckley's release, though some have expressed wariness.</s>WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — John Hinckley Jr., who shot Ronald Reagan, arrives at mother’s Virginia home after being freed for good from mental hospital.</s>NEW YORK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr. was scheduled to be freed from a psychiatric hospital on Saturday, 35 years after he shot U.S. President Ronald Reagan in an attack prompted by a deranged obsession with the actress Jodie Foster.

Hinckley, 61, will move in with his elderly mother in a gated community in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he has been making increasingly long furlough visits in recent years under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Secret Service.

A federal judge in July ordered Hinckley's release from St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, finding that he no longer posed a danger to himself or to others. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity at a 1982 trial and was diagnosed with depression and psychosis, both of which are now in remission, according to his doctors.

Residents of the town have seemed largely unfazed by the prospect of Hinckley's release, though some have expressed wariness.

A representative of St. Elizabeth's Hospital could not be reached on Saturday.

As a 25-year-old college dropout, Hinckley had grown fixated upon Foster and the Martin Scorsese film "Taxi Driver," in which she played a teenage prostitute.

Inspired by the film's main character, who plots to kill a presidential candidate, Hinckley opened fire on Reagan outside a Washington, D.C., hotel on March 30, 1981, in a misguided effort to win Foster's affections.

Reagan suffered a punctured lung but recovered quickly. His press secretary, James Brady, was left permanently disabled and eventually died of his injuries in 2014.

The shooting left its mark in a number of ways. The Brady shooting helped launch the modern gun control movement, and a 1993 bill named after him imposed background checks and a waiting period.

Hinckley's verdict, meanwhile, led several states to rewrite their laws to make insanity defenses more difficult, and the Secret Service toughened its security procedures following the assassination attempt.

Hinckley's release has dozens of conditions attached, including a requirement that he work or volunteer at least three days a week, limit his travel, allow law enforcement to track his movements and continue meeting with a psychiatrist.

The Reagan family issued a statement in July strongly opposing Hinckley's release. Foster has declined to comment on Hinckley since 1981. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)</s>The man who shot President Ronald Reagan is scheduled to leave a Washington mental hospital for good on Saturday, more than 35 years after the shooting. A federal judge ruled in late July that the 61-year-old John Hinckley Jr. is not a danger to himself or the public and can live full-time at his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Hinckley had already been visiting Williamsburg for long stretches at a time and preparing for the full-time transition. He'll have to follow a lot of rules while in Williamsburg, but his longtime lawyer Barry Levine says he thinks Hinckley will be a "citizen about whom we can all be proud."

This is what life will look like in Williamsburg for Hinckley:

Hinckley will have to work or volunteer at least three days a week. He hasn't yet done paid work in Williamsburg, but he has volunteered at a church and a mental health hospital, where he has worked in the library and in food service.

Hinckley will start off living with his elderly mother in her home in the gated community of Kingsmill. The unassuming home is on the 13th hole of a golf course. Hinckley's room has a king-size bed and TV and is decorated with paintings he has done of houses and cats, according to court documents. In the past, he has done chores like cleaning, dishwashing, laundry and leaf-raking. After a year, he may live alone or with roommates.

Hinckley will continue to go to therapy while in Williamsburg. For at least the first six months he'll see his psychiatrist twice a month and he'll have to attend weekly group therapy sessions. He'll also see a therapist individually. He'll return to Washington once a month to St. Elizabeths' outpatient department to discuss his mental health and compliance with the conditions of his leave.

Hinckley got a driver's license in 2011. The court order in his case lets him drive within 30 miles of Williamsburg by himself, which gets him to Newport News but not Norfolk. He can go up to 50 miles from the city if accompanied by his mom, sibling or a therapist or social worker. He can also drive to and from Washington once a month for his outpatient meetings.

Hinckley has long considered himself a musician and an artist. He paints and plays the guitar and has been involved in both as part of his therapy. He'll continue to see a music therapist once a month while in Williamsburg. At court hearings in the case in late 2011 and early 2012, lawyers discussed the fact that Hinckley had recently developed an interest in photography.

There are limits to how Hinckley can spend his leisure time. He also can't drink or use illegal drugs. He can surf the web but, at least initially, he's not allowed to search for information about his crimes or victims, among other things. He can't have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn without permission.

Once Hinckley lives in Virginia he can register to vote there. Hinckley has expressed an interest in voting in the past and tried unsuccessfully to get a ballot in the 1980s and 1990s. Hinckley's longtime lawyer Barry Levine told a newspaper in early August that he suspects his client will register to vote. Virginia's deadline to register for the November presidential election is Oct. 17.

Don't expect to see Hinckley giving any interviews. He's barred from talking to the press.</s>John Hinckley, the man who tried to assassinate president Ronald Reagan 35 years ago, was freed from a psychiatric hospital in Washington on Saturday, a report said.

Hinckley was released from St. Elizabeths Hospital, the Washington Post reported, citing his lawyer Barry Levine, who had confirmed that his client would leave in the morning, and a witness on the sprawling hospital campus.

Phyllis Jones, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Behavioral Health, told AFP that “all discharges planned for today have taken place” but said she could not comment on specific patients.

Levine was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP.

A federal judge ruled in July that Hinckley, 61, no longer posed a threat to himself or others and would be permitted to live with his 90-year-old mother in her gated community in Williamsburg, Virginia — under a strict set of conditions.

Since the 1990s, Hinckley has been permitted gradually longer supervised home visits with his mother, lasting up to 17 days. Secret Service agents have tracked him during each trip.

Hinckley, who was declared not guilty on grounds of insanity, said after the March 30, 1981 shooting outside a Washington hotel that he wanted to kill Reagan to impress actress Jodie Foster, whom he became obsessed with after watching the film “Taxi Driver.”

Reagan’s family and his presidential foundation have consistently opposed Hinckley’s release.

Daughter Patti Reagan Davis wrote on her website in 2015 that “I hope the doctors are right when they say that John Hinckley isn’t a danger to anyone, but something in me feels they are wrong.”

One thing troubling her, she said, was that while at St. Elizabeths, Hinckley had written to convicted mass murderers Ted Bundy and Charles Manson.

But Levine has argued since 2003 that evaluations by the hospital’s officials showed that Hinckley no longer posed any threat.

Three other men, including Reagan press secretary James Brady, were badly wounded in Hinckley’s attack.

The attempt on Reagan’s life sparked intense debate over gun violence and treatment of the mentally ill. Brady, who was left paralyzed, became a leading advocate for tougher gun controls.

When Brady died in 2014, a medical examiner attributed his death to the injuries received 33 years earlier, but no additional charges were filed against Hinckley.

The court order places dozens of detailed conditions on Hinckley’s “full-time convalescent leave” from St. Elizabeths, including a ban on contact with Foster, but said they can be phased out after a year to 18 months if he continues to make progress.

Hinckley must remain within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of his mother’s home, and cannot travel to any area where a current or former president, vice president or member of Congress is known to be.

He must return to St. Elizabeths for monthly monitoring and notify the Secret Service in advance about his intended route of travel.

He cannot post any writings or memorabilia on the internet or display them in person without authorization. He also cannot speak to the media.

The detailed conditions even include a requirement for monthly music therapy sessions with a board-certified music therapist.

St. Elizabeths, Hinckley’s home for most of the past 35 years, opened in 1855, and was the first federally-run psychiatric hospital.

Though it once housed as many as 8,000 patients — many of them indigent — the aging facility is being phased out and now holds only a few hundred.</s>FILE - In this March 19, 2015 file photo, John Hinckley Jr., left, gets into his mother's car in front of a recreation center in Williamsburg, Va. The man who shot President Ronald Reagan is scheduled to leave a Washington mental hospital for good on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, more than 35 years after the shooting. A federal judge ruled in late July that the 61-year-old Hinckley is not a danger to himself or the public and can live full-time at his mother's home in Williamsburg. (AP Photo/ Steve Helber, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan has been released from a Washington mental hospital for good, more than 35 years after the shooting.

A spokeswoman for the District of Columbia's Department of Mental Health said early Saturday that all patients scheduled to leave St. Elizabeths Hospital had been discharged. Hinckley was among those scheduled for discharge.

An Associated Press reporter saw a hired car pull into the driveway of the Hinckley home at around 2:30 p.m. Officers from the Kingsmill Police Department chased reporters away.

A federal judge ruled in late July that the 61-year-old Hinckley is not a danger to himself or the public and can live full-time at his mother's home in Williamsburg.

Hinckley had already been visiting Williamsburg for long stretches at a time and preparing for the full-time transition. He'll have to follow a lot of rules while in Williamsburg, but his longtime lawyer Barry Levine says he thinks Hinckley will be a "citizen about whom we can all be proud."

This is what life will look like in Williamsburg for Hinckley:

Hinckley will have to work or volunteer at least three days a week. He hasn't yet done paid work in Williamsburg, but he has volunteered at a church and a mental health hospital, where he has worked in the library and in food service.

Hinckley's mother lives in the gated community of Kingsmill. The unassuming home is on the 13th hole of a golf course. Hinckley's room has a king-size bed and TV and is decorated with paintings he has done of houses and cats, according to court documents. In the past, he has done chores like cleaning, dishwashing, laundry and leaf-raking. After a year, he may live alone or with roommates.

Hinckley will continue to go to therapy while in Williamsburg. For at least the first six months he'll see his psychiatrist twice a month and he'll have to attend weekly group therapy sessions. He'll also see a therapist individually. He'll return to Washington once a month to St. Elizabeths' outpatient department to discuss his mental health and compliance with the conditions of his leave.

Hinckley got a driver's license in 2011. The court order in his case lets him drive within 30 miles of Williamsburg by himself, which gets him to Newport News but not Norfolk. He can go up to 50 miles from the city if accompanied by his mom, sibling or a therapist or social worker. He can also drive to and from Washington once a month for his outpatient meetings.

Hinckley has long considered himself a musician and an artist. He paints and plays the guitar and has been involved in both as part of his therapy. He'll continue to see a music therapist once a month while in Williamsburg. At court hearings in the case in late 2011 and early 2012, lawyers discussed the fact that Hinckley had recently developed an interest in photography.

There are limits to how Hinckley can spend his leisure time. He also can't drink or use illegal drugs. He can surf the web but, at least initially, he's not allowed to search for information about his crimes or victims, among other things. He can't have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn without permission.

Hinckley can register to vote in Virginia. He has expressed an interest in voting in the past and tried unsuccessfully to get a ballot in the 1980s and 1990s. Hinckley's lawyer, Barry Levine, told a newspaper in early August that he thinks his client will register to vote. Virginia's deadline to register for the November presidential election is Oct. 17.

Don't expect to see Hinckley giving any interviews. He's barred from talking to the press.

Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jessicagresko. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jessica-gresko.</s>WASHINGTON -- The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan has been released from a Washington mental hospital for good, more than 35 years after the shooting.

A spokesman for the District of Columbia's Department of Mental Health said that all patients scheduled to leave St. Elizabeths Hospital early Saturday had been discharged. John Hinckley Jr. was among those scheduled for discharge.

An Associated Press reporter saw a car pull into the driveway of the Hinckley home about 2:30 p.m. Officers from the Kingsmill Police Department chased reporters away.

A federal judge ruled in late July that the 61-year-old Hinckley is not a danger to himself or the public and can live full time at his mother's home in Williamsburg, Va.

At the time of the shooting, Hinckley was a troubled 25-year-old obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and the movie Taxi Driver. He began stalking Reagan, and on March 30, 1981, shot the president, press secretary James Brady, a U.S. Secret Service agent and a District of Columbia police officer. Brady suffered brain damage and died from his injuries in 2014. The others recovered from their injuries.

Hinckley's successful insanity defense before a jury angered many in the country and prompted changes that narrowed the application of that legal strategy. Reagan later forgave Hinckley.

Some in Kingsmill, the gated Williamsburg community Hinckley will call home, said forgiveness is beside the point.

"It's not a matter of forgiveness but a matter of security," said Joe Mann, a vocal critic of the release who lives about a half-mile from Hinckley's mother.

Hinckley had already been visiting Williamsburg for long stretches at a time and preparing for the full-time transition. He'll have to follow a lot of rules while in Williamsburg, but his longtime lawyer Barry Levine said he thinks Hinckley will be a "citizen about whom we can all be proud."

In Williamsburg, Hinckley will have to work or volunteer at least three days a week. He hasn't yet done paid work in Williamsburg, but he has volunteered at a church and a mental health hospital, where he has worked in the library and in food service.

Hinckley's 90-year-old mother lives in the gated community of Kingsmill. The home is on the 13th hole of a golf course. Hinckley's room has a king-size bed and TV and is decorated with paintings he has done of houses and cats, according to court documents. In the past, he has done chores such as cleaning, dishwashing, laundry and leaf-raking. After a year, he may live alone or with roommates.

Hinckley will continue to go to therapy while in Williamsburg. For at least the first six months, he'll see his psychiatrist twice a month and will have to attend weekly group therapy sessions. He'll also see a therapist individually. He'll return to Washington once a month to St. Elizabeths' outpatient department to discuss his mental health and compliance with the conditions of his leave.

Hinckley got a driver's license in 2011. The court order in his case lets him drive within 30 miles of Williamsburg by himself, which gets him to Newport News but not Norfolk. He can go up to 50 miles from the city if accompanied by his mother, sibling or a therapist or social worker. He can also drive to and from Washington once a month for his outpatient meetings.

Hinckley has long considered himself a musician and an artist. He paints and plays the guitar and has been involved in both as part of his therapy. He'll continue to see a music therapist once a month while in Williamsburg. At court hearings in the case in late 2011 and early 2012, lawyers discussed the fact that Hinckley had recently developed an interest in photography.

There are limits to how Hinckley can spend his leisure time. He also can't drink or use illegal drugs. He can surf the Web, but, at least initially, he's not allowed to search for information about his crimes or victims, among other things. He can't have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn without permission.

Hinckley can register to vote in Virginia. He has expressed an interest in voting in the past and tried unsuccessfully to get a ballot in the 1980s and 1990s. Levine told a newspaper in early August that he thinks his client will register to vote. Virginia's deadline to register for the November presidential election is Oct. 17.

Hinckley is barred from talking to the press.

Information for this article was contributed by Jessica Gresko of The Associated Press and by Shawn Boburg and Moriah Balingit of The Washington Post.</s>The man who shot President Ronald Reagan is scheduled to leave a Washington mental hospital for good on Saturday, more than 35 years after the shooting. A federal judge ruled in late July that the 61-year-old John Hinckley Jr. is not a danger to himself or the public and can live full—time at his mother’s home in Williamsburg, Virginia.

There are limits to how Hinckley can spend his leisure time. He also can’t drink or use illegal drugs. He can surf the web but, at least initially, he’s not allowed to search for information about his crimes or victims, among other things. He can’t have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn without permission.

Once Hinckley lives in Virginia he can register to vote there. Hinckley has expressed an interest in voting in the past and tried unsuccessfully to get a ballot in the 1980s and 1990s. Hinckley’s longtime lawyer Barry Levine told a newspaper in early August that he suspects his client will register to vote. Virginia’s deadline to register for the November presidential election is Oct. 17.

Don’t expect to see Hinckley giving any interviews. He’s barred from talking to the press.</s>A worker at St. Elizabeth's Hospital told CNN he saw Hinckley leave the hospital grounds. Before departing, Hinckley walked around and got into a car with some people wishing him good luck, the worker said.

In July, a federal judge decided to grant Hinckley, 61, "full-time convalescent leave" from St. Elizabeth's Hospital. The order allows him to live full time with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, but still under certain restrictions.

"The very carefully considered decision by the court to release Mr. Hinckley based on the copious evidence by medical professionals and government expert witnesses should give great comfort to a concerned citizenry that the mental health system and the judicial system worked and worked well," Hinckley's longtime lawyer Barry William Levine said in a statement.

Reagan shooter to be released from mental hospital Reagan shooter to be released from mental hospital "People of good will should feel good about Mr. Hinckley's recovery and wish him well." Doctors said Hinckley had recovered from the mental illness that drove him to shoot Reagan and three others outside the Washington Hilton in March 1981. , died in 2014 due to injuries from the assassination attempt. , died in 2014 due to injuries from the assassination attempt. James Brady, the White House press secretary hit in the shooting , died in 2014 due to injuries from the assassination attempt. Hinckley has slowly gained some freedoms since he was incarcerated. In 2003, he was allowed day visits with his family, and since then has been granted longer visits and now has been spending about 17 days a month with his mother. He is not allowed to go near any member of the Reagan or Brady families, along with relatives of the Secret Service officer and the D.C. police officer wounded in the 1981 attempt, according to the court order. He also must volunteer or find work.
The District Court for the District of Columbia releases John Hinckley Jr, U.S. President Ronald Reagan's March 1981 would-be assassin, from a psychiatric hospital after 35 years.