Career
The 25-year-old had been under Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance for making threats against then-president Ronald Reagan. He had been warned to stay away from the White House by United States Secret Service officers in the months leading up to the shooting. On the day of the shooting he was noticed in front of the south grounds of the White House by security agents who then approached him.
He pulled a sawed-off shotgun from beneath his coat, and one of the agents shot him in the arm with a revolver.
He was subsequently arrested. He was arraigned on March 16, and scheduled for a psychiatric evaluation which later detected "emotional problems.".
