Hinckley freed for day trips

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U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman yesterday freed John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot President Reagan, for unsupervised trips from the mental hospital where he has been confined for more than two decades.

Judge Friedman granted the trips over the objections of the U.S. government and the family of the former president.

Hinckley, 48, will be allowed to leave St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast for day trips without an escort. He could take his first trip as early as two weeks from today.

Judge Friedman said he "concludes that it would not be legally sound to deny all aspects of the hospital's request for conditional, time-limited outings under the supervision of parents." The evidence, he said, "weighs so heavily in finding that Mr. Hinckley will not be a danger to himself or others."

The Reagan family disagreed in a statement issued late yesterday.

"Although the judge limited Mr. Hinckley's travel to the Washington, D.C., area," the family said, "we continue to fear for the safety of the general public. Our thoughts are with all of Mr. Hinckley's victims today, especially Jim Brady and his family, as they must continue to live with the tragic consequences of the assassination attempt."

U.S. Attorney for the District Roscoe C. Howard denounced Judge Friedman's decision.

"We opposed Hinckley's release because we remain concerned about Mr. Hinckley's current dangerousness for the reasons stated in our arguments before the court," he said.