This Day in History:, John Lennon Is Shot. December 8, 1980. The 40-year-old former member of the Beatles was shot and killed by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman. The outspoken rock icon was entering his Manhattan apartment when Chapman shot him four times at close range with a .38-caliber revolver. Lennon was rushed to the hospital but died en route. He had given Chapman an autograph earlier in the day. Chapman voluntarily remained at the scene of the shooting until he was arrested by police. Demonstrations of mourning were held all over the world. Deemed a borderline psychotic, Chapman pleaded guilty to murder and remains in Attica prison. Lennon is memorialized in a section of Central Park known as "Strawberry Fields."