Jerry Parr, the secret service agent who saved former president Ronald Reagan's life during a 1981 assassination attempt, has died at the age of 85.
The former Secret Service agent passed away at a hospital in Washington Friday due to congestive heart failure, his wife Carolyn has confirmed, The New York Times reported.
John W. Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan in 1981 as he was leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel after a speech, just 70 days into his presidential term. Parr, upon hearing the sound of gunfire, pushed the president inside the limousine and implored the driver to drive off toward the White House.
Moments later, however, Reagan began to complain about pains in his chest, then Parr noticed blood on his lip as he was inspecting him. He then ordered the driver to redirect the car to George Washington University Hospital, upon which the president collapsed at the steps in the trauma center.
Doctors concluded that Reagan was suffering from internal massive bleeding and were able to stop the hemorrhaging when the president began to lose more than half of his blood.
"If Jerry Parr took the president to the White House, Ronald Reagan would have died," said Joseph Giordano, the top trauma surgeon at George Washington University Hospital at the time when Reagan was treated, according to Bloomberg. "There is no doubt in my mind. Jerry Parr is a hero."
Parr served as a Secret Service agent from 1962 to 1985. Besides Reagan, he also took charge of handling President Jimmy Carter. After he retired, he became a minister, according to a website for his official book, CNN reported.
