Reagan Shooter Hinckley Slams Security at DC Hilton Hotel

John Hinckley Jr. is weighing in on security at the Washington Hilton, and he's not impressed. The man who shot then-President Ronald Reagan outside the DC hotel in 1981 tells TMZ the venue shouldn't host major events anymore, saying "bad things keep happening" there and that it's "just not a secure place to hold big events." His comments follow Saturday's shooting in the hotel lobby during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where President Trump, senior officials, and journalists were gathered nearby. (CBS News reports the Secret Service refers to the hotel as the "Hinckley Hilton," and one former agent says it's difficult to protect the president there because of how enormous and full of activity it is.)

Authorities say suspect Cole Allen fired several rounds; Secret Service agents shot back but missed him. One agent was hit, but his bulletproof vest prevented injury. Hinckley, found not guilty by reason of insanity in the Reagan attack and released after more than three decades in a mental hospital, called it "spooky" that the latest shooting happened at the same hotel. He also recalled slipping into a crowd of reporters in 1981 without being screened, calling security then "lax." Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin similarly criticized Saturday's security, saying he wasn't IDed or sent through a metal detector when he arrived for the WHCA dinner.