Murder of John Lennon

About

On the night of 8 December 1980, English musician John Lennon, formerly of the Beatles, was fatally shot in the archway of The Dakota, his residence in Manhattan, New York City. The shooter, Mark David Chapman, was an American Beatles fanatic who was envious and enraged by Lennon's lifestyle. Chapman was also inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, which features a "phony-killer" who loathes hypocrisy.

Chapman planned the murder over several months. Earlier in the day, he had met Lennon, who signed his copy of the album Double Fantasy as Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, were leaving for a recording session at the Record Plant. Later that night when the couple returned home, Chapman, still waiting at the building's entrance, fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 Special revolver, four of which hit Lennon in the back. Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital in a police car, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:15 p.m. Chapman remained at the scene of the shooting reading The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested by police.