THE DEATH OF former White House press secretary James Brady earlier this week has been ruled a homicide – 33 years after he was shot.
Brady died on Monday at the age of 73 from what his family said was a series of health issues. He had been in a wheelchair since he was shot in the attempted assassination of US President Ronald Reagan on 30 March 1981.
This evening, the medical examiner in the state of Virginia told police that Brady’s death had been classified as a homicide.
It is not yet known whether the man who shot him will face new criminal charges.
Brady was one of four people shot by John Hinckley Junior outside a Washington hotel. Hinckley claimed he was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster.
He found not guilty of the shootings by reason of insanity and lives in a Washington mental hospital.
President Reagan was wounded in the shooting, but Brady suffered the most serious injuries after a bullet went through his skull, leaving him with partial paralysis and slurred speech.
Brady became one of the most well-known advocates for gun control in the US after the shooting.
He fought for the issue for more than three decades, saying in 2011: “I wouldn’t be here in this damn wheelchair if we had common sense legislation”.
Additional reporting by AP
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