Thomas K. Delahanty is a retired District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

 who was wounded during the assassination attempt

Reagan assassination attempt

The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on Monday, March 30, 1981, just 69 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr...

 on U.S. President Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 on Monday, March 30, 1981, in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

Reagan assassination attempt

President Reagan, White House Press Secretary

White House Press Secretary

The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....

 James Brady

James Brady

James Scott "Jim" Brady is a former Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary under U.S. President Ronald Reagan...

, and Secret Service

United States Secret Service

The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

 agent Timothy McCarthy

Tim McCarthy

Timothy J. McCarthy is the current police chief of Orland Park, Illinois and a former member of the United States Secret Service. He is most famous for turning into the line of fire, shielding President Ronald Reagan and being wounded by one of John Hinckley, Jr.'s .22 caliber bullets in the 1981...

 were also wounded in the crossfire. Delahanty was shot in the neck by one of John Hinckley, Jr.

John Hinckley, Jr.

John Warnock Hinckley, Jr., attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, as the culmination of an effort to impress teen actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since...

's six bullets, and he fell to the ground next to Brady (who had been seriously wounded in the head).

Recovery

Delahanty was taken to Washington Hospital Center. He went home eleven days later on Friday, April 10, 1981, and was quoted as saying, "I feel good . . . I'm ready to go."

Since the bullet had ricocheted off his spinal cord after striking his neck, he suffered permanent nerve damage to his left arm. Delahanty was cited for heroism for his valiant effort to protect the President, and was ultimately forced to retire from the Washington police force due to his disability. Delahanty lives in suburban Washington.

Aftermath

He later sued Hinckley and the manufacturer of the gun, Röhm (RG)

Röhm (RG)

Röhm, often referred as simply RG, is a German brand of firearms and related shooting equipment. Since 2010 Röhm RG is a brand name of UMAREX GmbH & Co. KG.- History :...

. His argument against the manufacturer, that small, cheap guns have no purpose except for crime, and thus that the company should be held responsible, was rejected by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals

District of Columbia Court of Appeals

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia. Established by the United States Congress in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its power derives from Article I of the U.S. Constitution rather than from the inherent sovereignty...

.