I was 12 years old and in 7th grade. I heard the news on TV that night just before bedtime and just couldn't understand why someone would hurt John Lennon at all. It just made no sense to me whatsoever. I was a fan of their music since I was a kid (my parents had all their stuff on 8-track
) I also ended up reading "Catcher in the Rye" as a result of this and found it boring.