jr. with the stories you haven't heard, the police officer who questioned hinckley speaks out in his first nationally televised interview. i just didn't think that he realized the magnitude of what he had done. andrea canning: from behind the hospital walls. he turned to her and said, will you marry me? andrea canning: secrets from his diaries uncovered by "dateline." his obsession with actress jodie foster. the letters were assumed to have been love type letters. andrea canning: and the most controversial question of all. is hinckley really fit to be free? he's a potentially dangerous character. he's proven that. hello and welcome to "dateline." he shot a president and shook the country. since that day more than 40 years ago, gunman john hinckley jr. has remained an enigma. now we are about to reveal an extraordinary trove of his most private thoughts and feelings and provide a firsthand look at his contentious second act as a free man. here's special contributor troy roberts with "hinckley, diary of a dangerous mind." troy roberts: charming, small town williamsburg, virginia. people visit from all over the world for a taste of america's colonial history. this man came for something more. a new life. one that would be quiet and normal. he volunteers at a church. he plays a lot of music. he goes on walks. troy roberts: but his journey to get here was a long one filled with violence. [gunshots] mental illness, and confinement. this is a violently insane person, so you need to put him somewhere where he can't harm anybody. troy roberts: no one would guess it now, but this senior citizen casually walking around town is an infamous figure, a man who once tried to kill the president of the united states over a movie star. [gunshots] john hinckley jr. today after being institutionalized for more than three decades, he is pretty much a free man. it was a rainy spring monday in washington, dc, just a few months after ronald reagan was elected president. del wilber: march 30, 1981 is 70 days into reagan's first term and it's a nothing day. he's given a speech at the washington hilton. troy roberts: a nothing day that was about to turn into a day no one would ever forget. los angeles times reporter del wilber interviewed well over 100 people for his book "rawhide down." rawhide, the secret service codename for president reagan. we're going to convince this city that the power begins and ends with the people. [applause] del wilber: he gives a speech. he's walking out. it's 2:27 pm. judy woodruff: i was part of the press pool, which is the small group of reporters who follow along in the motorcade. troy roberts: pbs newshour anchor and managing editor judy woodruff was the white house correspondent for nbc news. he came out the door and was waving. i remember he raised his arm to wave to people there. troy roberts: 15 feet away was a rope line which separated a small crowd of reporters and bystanders from the president. in that crowd, a sandy blond haired 25 year old named john hinckley jr. moments later. [gunshots] it sounded like firecrackers. you knew in an instant it couldn't be firecrackers. you then assumed it was a gun. and he unleashes six shots in 1.7 seconds. [gunshots] everybody yell get down, get down. and all i saw was a jumble of people shoving the president and i couldn't tell who else into a car. troy roberts: hinckley seemed to shoot recklessly, almost randomly in reagan's direction. all three networks had camera crews at the event, which later allowed reporters to break down every horrifying moment. first shot hits jim brady in the head. he falls to the ground. he's the presidential press secretary. the second shot hits tom delahanty, a dc police officer, in the back. he falls to the ground. fourth shot hits tim mccarthy, a secret service agent who turned and took a shot in the chest without a bulletproof vest. judy woodruff: i remember yelling in the chaos. i said, was the president hit? and they said, i don't think so. did you see john hinckley outside of the hotel? i saw police on top of the man. had wrestled him to the ground. and i couldn't really see anything. troy roberts: we looked at footage from that day with del wilber. that's a secret service agent with an uzi. get out of the way! del wilber: and that's hinckley. so they're hustling them over to this car. troy roberts: president reagan's son ron was in lincoln, nebraska when he was told about the shooting. i see across the room a secret service man coming towards me. and he very quietly told my wife and that shots had been fired. they didn't think he was hit. we now have an announcement from the white house. definitely the president was not hit. troy roberts: but inside the presidential limo, a different story was playing out. reagan's increasingly complaining of a pain in his chest, back, and side right here. it really hurts. and he pulls a napkin out of his right coat pocket that he'd taken from the hilton, a paper napkin, dabs his lips, looks at it, and there's bright, frothy blood. troy roberts: president reagan had been shot, and his life was in danger. wilber explained exactly how he was wounded. del wilber: so we're watching a slow motion replay of the shooting. and right around here, boom, look how close he is. look at the gun. and the way to reagan is clear. and right here the bullet hits right there and gets through that little gap. troy roberts: through the tiny gap created by the open door of the bulletproof car, hitting the president. an incredible fluke. it was hinckley's sixth and final shot. secret service agents raced him to george washington university hospital where doctors found the bullet dangerously close to president reagan's heart. reporter: judy, i'm sorry to interrupt. troy roberts: nbc cut into woodruff's report with the news. reporter: in front of me now are two bulletins that both say president reagan was shot in the chest. troy roberts: the president was rushed into surgery. meanwhile, the fbi was desperately trying to find out what happened. retired fbi agent thomas baker. we didn't know was this part of a conspiracy? was there going to be other people shot? troy roberts: the answers would be much stranger and more chilling than they could possibly imagine. and it turned out the clues were hiding in plain sight. a nation is rocked as details emerge about the president's precarious condition and the gunman who pulled the trigger. coming up, the first nationally televised interview with the detective who questioned hinckley minutes after the attack. he just seemed a matter of factly like this wasn't really a big deal. did he ask any questions about the condition of the president or mr. brady? no, he never did. he never seen concerned. no remorse? no remorse at all. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues. 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( ♪ ♪ ) witroy roberts: themes news was everywhere. president ronald reagan had been shot in washington, dc. reporter: still is absolute confusion and a terrible sinking feeling that america has lived through so many times in the past. troy roberts: president reagan and the three men shot near him were all taken to nearby hospitals, some with life threatening injuries. brady had a catastrophic brain injury. mccarthy shot in the liver. delahanty, a bullet lodged near his spine. and the president with one lodged only an inch from his heart. how close did he come to dying? reagan came within a couple of minutes of dying. troy roberts: meanwhile, the man who shot them was in the custody of the washington, dc police. retired homicide detective eddie myers was the first person to question hinckley. more than 38 years since that day, this was his first national television interview. eddie myers: he looked like a college student. he just didn't seem to fit the profile of what i thought a presidential assassin would be like. what was john hinckley's demeanor when you were about to begin your interview? he just seemed a matter of factly like this wasn't really a big deal. troy roberts: myers said hinckley told him his name, his parents' address, and the room number at the hotel where he had been staying. he also assured the detective he acted alone. did you ask him that question directly? yes, i did. something to that effect, are you by yourself? and he responded i'm with no one. did he ask any questions about the condition of the president or mr. brady? no, he never did. he never seemed concerned. no remorse? no remorse at all. troy roberts: desperate for any clue or evidence that could explain the motive for the shooting, myers searched hinckley's wallet and found photos. eddie myers: i noticed three or four of them from magazines i think they were. did you ask them who this person was? yeah. troy roberts: and what did he say? he says you'll find out when you get to read the letter in my room. troy roberts: at that point, myers said hinckley shut down and refused to say more. what struck him most was that hinckley seemed arrogant, almost smug. eddie myers: i said, you're going to be charged with attempted assassination of the president of the united states. and as i'm writing this in my notes, i'm having a hard time spelling assassination. and he says, i'll spell it for you. troy roberts: soon after, hinckley was turned over to the fbi. and by evening, word of hinckley's arrest was public. reporter: the man who fired the shots today has been identified as john warnock hinckley of evergreen, colorado. i'm thinking to myself, that is so weird that the guy who shot the president has the same name as my friend john hinckley. troy roberts: as kids, evan price, kurt dooley, and will francis were friends with hinckley, growing up in the same wealthy texas suburb. they didn't believe the shooter was their john until they heard where he went to school. evan price: i was in disbelief. i thought to myself, i know this guy. friendly person, good natured person. this can't be happening. troy roberts: it was hard for all of them to square the known for more than a decade. evan price: yeah, look how happy he looks. kurt dooley: he is handsome and happy and looks great. will francis: here's john. troy roberts: they met hinckley in the '60s and bonded over sports and music. will francis: he was a very well liked guy. we would go to record shops, music stores, places to have a burger. troy roberts: at home, john hinckley was the youngest of three, his father, jack, the owner of an oil and gas business. his friends say the family seemed perfect, straight out of the tv classic "leave it to beaver." will francis: i would spend the night over there and it was a great family. and she was just june cleaver. and his dad was more like ward. troy roberts: so what changed for the kid who grew up with everything? back in washington, the fbi was wondering the same thing. that night, agents were at the park central hotel where hinckley had been staying. we executed a search warrant of his hotel room. troy roberts: thomas baker was the agent in charge and oversaw the search. thomas baker: there on the desk we found the letter, the statement of why he was doing this. troy roberts: the letter revealed that hinckley didn't try to kill the president for political reasons. he did it because of a dark and twisted obsession with a woman. hinckley's bombshell motive thrusts a young hollywood actress into the spotlight, while those close to the president are left reeling. coming up, raw pain for the reagan family and hinckley's fixation on actress jodie foster. the letters were assumed to have been love type letters. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues. ♪ today, my friend you did it, you did it, you did it... ♪ centrum silver is now clinically shown to support cognitive health in older adults. it's one more step towards taking charge of your health. so every day, you can say, ♪ youuu did it! ♪ with centrum silver. there's something going around the gordon home. good thing gertrude found delsym. now what's going around is 12-hour cough relief. and the giggles. the family that takes delsym together, feels better together. i got this $1,000 camera for only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and shipping is always free. go to dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save. my skin has been so much smoother so much more hydrated. it's olay! with olay hyaluronic body wash 95% of women had visibly-better skin. and my skin is so much more moisturized. see the difference with olay. 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(vo) it's your vision, it's your verizon. the power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity. home of the xfinity 10g network. troy roberts: as night fell over the capital, learn more today. the nation could finally breathe a sigh of relief. president reagan tonight is reported in stable and good condition. troy roberts: mccarthy, brady, and delahanty also survived surgery, some miraculously. del wilber: brady's surgery was very delicate and very complicated. and it took the doctor all day to stop the bleeding and hemorrhaging and get the bullet fragments out of brady's brain. troy roberts: the public still had no idea why john hinckley tried to kill president reagan. even the president's family hadn't been told anything. his son ron struggled with his anger. somebody shoots your father and you're a 22 year old guy, your first thought is, let me get my hands on this son of a bitch. troy roberts: were you thinking, what would drive john hinckley to want to kill my father? well, you figure it's either some sort of political motive or he's just crazy. troy roberts: but fbi agents who had found that letter in hinckley's hotel room were learning his motives weren't at all political. hinckley was fueled by an obsession with actress jodie foster. the letter was written to her. john hinckley (voiceover): dear jodie, there is a definite possibility that i will be killed in my attempt to get reagan. it is for this very reason that i am writing you this letter now. troy roberts: retired fbi agent thomas baker. he explained he was doing this great act of love to impress her and win her heart. john hinckley (voiceover): i've got to do something now to make you understand in no uncertain terms that i am doing all of this for your sake. troy roberts: the fbi needed to talk to foster. when agents arrived at yale university, where she was a student, the actress was visibly upset. she told them that hinckley started writing her soon after she arrived on campus the previous fall and hadn't stopped. interviewer: was he threatening? what was he like? i'm not allowed to say. troy roberts: foster held a press conference a few days later. the letters were assumed to have been love type letters. interviewer: have you ever seen hinckley, that you know of? no, i've never-- not to my knowledge. i've never met him. troy roberts: the fbi learned hinckley had told his parents he was attending a yale writer's program, but that was a lie. del wilber: he wasn't in any writers program. he was there living in a hotel and stalking jodie foster. and was slipping notes under her door, love notes. troy roberts: this note was left for her just weeks before the shooting. john hinckley (voiceover): jodie, goodbye. i love you 6 trillion times. don't you maybe like me just a little bit? you must admit i am different. it would make all of this worthwhile. troy roberts: when did his obsession with jodie foster begin? del wilber: 1976. he was in la trying to be a songwriter, failing at it, and he saw the movie "taxi driver." he saw it more than a dozen times. remember, she plays a prostitute, an adolescent prostitute in the movie. and he became obsessed with her. troy roberts: robert de niro played the main character, travis bickle, a socially awkward taxi driver who plans to kill a presidential candidate. del wilber: he completely identified with bickle. he thought that he was going to shoot reagan and die in a hail of secret service bullets just as bickle thought he would. troy roberts: but investigato