Jay Hastings, the doorman from John Lennon's residence on the fateful day he was shot and killed, recently recalled his devastating experience.
On December 8th, 1980, another doorman named Jose was employed at the Dakota building where the Beatles star lived when he recounted precisely what happened after the fatal shooting.
The tragedy that happened on December 8th 1980, is embedded in his memory forever, which he shared with the media.
That night, when Mark David Chapman assassinated John Lennon in front of the latter's Upper West Side residential building at 10:50 PM, it was Jay who was the first doorman to witness the event.
Tragedy At The Dakota
In an emotional interview with PEOPLE magazine, Jay said, "I could hear Jose outside, 'Oh, Mr. Lennon.' Boom, boom, doors close, and I could hear the quick march of heels coming up the driveway."
"So I walked over to the counter, where there was a hidden security button to unlock the door so you could get into the Dakota proper."
"As I was there with my finger on the button is when he [John] 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," Jay went on to say.
Recounting what had happened, Jay described how he immediately realized what had occurred but was unaware of the gravity of it.
"You're not computing the result, and [I] didn't know how bad he was shot," Jay commented-going on to add that Yoko Ono, John's wife, had been yelling for an ambulance in the back office.
Jay took further action to ensure the police knew what was happening by calling 911 from the Dakota building.
Jose also activated a pre-recorded panic button inside the doorman's booth. This prompted an endless alert to the authorities about the developing situation.
READ ALSO: John Lennon's Final Interview Before Death: Did He and Paul McCartney Reconcile?
The Aftermath
Fearing the shooter would escape, Jose informed John that he was still outside and unarmed. In response, John impulsively grabbed the billy club from atop the safe and rushed down the stairs, ready to take matters into his own hands.
As Jay neared his shooter, he realized the man was engaged in an activity - he was deeply immersed in the pages of a book.
When police showed up shortly after that, they initially assumed he had caused the disruption.
"I looked a little crazy, I already had blood on my hands, I just had my shirt on, my white shirt with no tie."
John Lennon was tragically shot and killed, but the perpetrator would not get away with it. Law enforcement was soon pointed in their direction by the singer's friend, who made sure justice would be served.
READ MORE: Upcoming John Lennon Documentary Reveals New Information From Witness: 'This Ain't No Movie'
