Four bullets struck John Lennon during his assassination. Mark David Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 Special revolver outside the Dakota in New York City on December 8, 1980; one bullet missed, while four hit Lennon in the back.
Three of the bullets passed through Lennon’s body and exited through his chest. The fourth lodged in his aorta beside his heart. The wounds severely damaged major blood vessels and the left lung, making the injuries fatal even though emergency doctors attempted resuscitation at Roosevelt Hospital.
The number is often confused because Chapman fired five shots, not four. The medically important distinction is between shots fired and bullets that struck Lennon: five rounds were discharged, but four entered his body. Lennon was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m., shortly after arriving at the hospital.