Mark David Chapman (born May 10, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American prisoner who assassinated John Lennon on December 8, 1980 in New York City. Chapman shot Lennon four times in the back outside The Dakota apartment building, in the presence of Lennon's wife Yoko Ono and others. Chapman remained at the scene reading parts of "The Catcher in the Rye" until arrested by police.