Denken aan Mark Chapman

Met de moord op John Lennon in New York kwam vandaag – 30 jaar geleden – een definitief en gewelddadig einde aan The Beatles. Later verklaarde dader en Lennon-fan Mark Chapman dat hij wilde dat zijn naam voor eeuwig gekoppeld zou worden aan die van zijn idool. Een bizar motief, maar Chapman lijkt in zijn opzet geslaagd.

I went to the building. It’s called the Dakota. I stayed there until he came out and asked him to sign my album.

(zie foto rechts – NM)

At that point my big part won and I wanted to go back to my hotel, but I couldn’t. I waited until he came back.

He came in a car. Yoko walked past first and I said hello, I didn’t want to hurt her. Then John came and looked at me and printed me.
I took the gun from my coat pocket and fired at him. I can’t believe I could do that. I didn’t want to run away. I don’t know what happened to the gun.

I remember Jose kicking it away. Jose was crying and telling me to please leave. Then the police came and told me to put my hands on the wall and cuffed me.