It has been 43 years since John Lennon was murdered on his way back to his apartment.
Jose Hastings, John Lennon’s doorman, spoke to People about the 43-year-old incident. Hastings recalled Lennon’s final words and a conversation with another doorman from that night. Jose, the doorman, was the first person to see the singer after he was shot. Hastings remembered, “I heard Jose outside saying, ‘Oh Mr. Lennon.‘ Doors slammed shut, and I could hear the quick march of heels up the driveway. So I went over to the counter, where a hidden security button opened the door, allowing you to enter the Dakota proper.”
Hastings had only heard two words from Lennon’s mouth after he was shot. He disclosed, “As I was there with my finger on the button is when he [Lennon] came running up, immediately after hearing gunshots, and he’s like, ‘I’m shot, I’m shot,’ and he just ran past me to the back office, and just collapsed.”
Yoko Ono, the singer’s wife, was also present. She was the one who called an ambulance for him after he was shot. The doorman went on, “I had no idea how badly he had been shot. When I entered the back office, Yoko was behind him, screaming, “Get an ambulance!” ‘Call an ambulance.‘”
At 10:50 p.m. local time, Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon in front of an Upper West Side residential building. Less than 10 minutes later, Lennon was taken to nearby Roosevelt Hospital and pronounced dead.
Yoko Ono’s Last Minutes with Lennon
Shortly before the Beatle was killed, a seemingly ordinary moment unfolded between him and Yoko Ono. John said his final words to his wife while driving back from the Record Plant that night.
Yoko shared her final words with her husband in a 2007 interview with Desert Island Discs, ” Shall we go out to dinner before we go home?'” ‘No, let’s go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep,’ said John.”
She was also asked if John said anything after he was shot, but she declined. So, as far as Yoko Ono knew, those were the final words.
Where Is Lennon’s Killer Today?
Mark David Chapman confessed at the scene of the crime. He admitted to being a Beatles fan in a later statement to a parole board and claimed he was seeking fame.’ Earlier in the day, Lennon met Chapman and got the Beatle’s autograph on a copy of the album ‘Double Fantasy.’ Chapman had purchased the gun three months prior and had traveled to New York City with the intent to commit the crime. Chapman allegedly assassinated Lennon solely because he was ‘too famous.’
Chapman has been in prison since his arrest in the aftermath of the shooting. In June 1981, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison two months later. Despite being denied parole for the 12th time in September 2022, Chapman remains eligible for parole consideration. Chapman will be eligible for parole again in 2024.
1 comment
Rot in hell.