Thomas Delahanty

Thomas K. Delahanty (born c.1934) was the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department officer who was wounded during the assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan on Monday, March 30, 1981, in Washington, D.C.

Reagan, White House Press Secretary James Brady, and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy were also wounded in the crossfire. Delahanty was shot in the neck by one of John Hinckley, Jr.'s six bullets, [Statement Issued by Physician. (1981, April 1). New York Times (1857-Current file),p. A22. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2004) database. (Document ID: 114189210).] [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=a3gNG2fB8HQC&pg=PA214&dq=Delehanty+Washington+officer&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=ACfU3U2oUbjPowWef8iRb8tRTsbMNvzldg The Reagans: Portrait of a Marriage] , Anne Edwards, Macmillan, St. Martin's Press, 2003: " [page 214] . . . At 5:30 police officer Thomas Delehanty came out of surgery to remove a bullet that had gone through his neck and lodged not far from his spine . . . " Delehanty had been taken to Washington Hospital Center, whereas Reagan, Brady, and McCarthy had been taken to George Washington University Hospital (pages 209 to 214).] [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/28/AR2006032800766_2.html Washington Post] , "25th Anniversary: Reagan's Brush With Death," "Reagan Wounded by Assailant's Bullet: Three Others Shot; President's Prognosis Excellent," David S. Broder, Tuesday, March 31, 1981, “ [page 2 of 5] . . . Delahanty in the neck and shoulder . . . "] and he fell to the ground next to Brady (who had been seriously wounded in the head).

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." [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/28/AR2006032801245_2.html Washington Post] , "25th Anniversary: Reagan's Brush With Death," "Feeling 'Great,' President Leaves the Hospital: Reagan Returns to the White House But Work Schedule Still Limited," Lee Lescaze, Saturday, April 11, 1981.] He later sued Hinckley and the manufacturer of the gun, Röhm (RG). 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. [Delahanty v. Hinckley, 564 A.2d 758 (D.C.App. 1989), judgment hosted by Carnegie Mellon University [http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/wbardwel/public/nfalist/delahanty_v_hinckley.txt here] .]

References

Note: Some sources spell the last name 'Delahanty.' And other sources, perhaps a smaller number, as 'Delehanty.'