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McCarthy On John Hinckley Release: 'They Better Be Right About This'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The man who tried to kill President Reagan 35 years ago will be set free.

One of the other people John Hinckley shot outside a Washington hotel in 1981 was secret service agent Tim McCarthy, who is now police chief in suburban Orland Park.

"They better be right about this, keeping in mind that he murdered one man, Jim Brady, who died from his injuries," McCarthy said. "He almost killed the president of the United States and he injured two law enforcement officers."

McCarthy took a bullet to the chest, protecting the president from the gunfire.

"I never put eyes on him, specifically," he told CBS 2's Dana Kozlov. "It was when I turned and gunshots started, I knew exactly where they were coming from. I recall seeing the weapon, but I couldn't put the weapon with the face."

Hinckley, who was found guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a psychiatric facility, had recently been allowed to spend time with his mother.

A federal judge ordered him released full-time, saying he is no longer a threat to others.

Brady, who was paralyzed in the shooting, was Reagan's press secretary. He died in 2014.

Hinckley's release comes with several conditions:

He must continue his mental health treatments.

He's not allowed to talk to the media.

He can't try to contact his victims or their families, or actress Jodie Foster, who Hinckley said he was trying to impress when he shot the president.

McCarthy said he has no desire to hear from Hinckley anyway.

"I probably haven't had a lot of good Christian thoughts about him," McCarthy said. "But I am also not a vengeful person."

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