Reagan press aide and gun control advocate, James Brady, who died this week at age 73, may have survived a gunshot wound to the head in 1981 but his death this week was ruled as homicide Friday by the medical examiner, according to police in the District of Columbia.

No further explanations for the ruling were made. A spokesman for the Virginia medical examiner's office responsible for the ruling said any other details had to be released by District police. All a police spokesman said was the department was told of the decision.

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Brady was White House press secretary on March 30, 1981 when he was shot on the sidewalk outside the Washington Hotel along with President Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. Many surgeries and rehabs later, Brady never regained ability to use his arms and legs and often needed a wheelchair to get around life.

A federal court ruled Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity on 13 counts including attempted assassination of the president, attempted murder, assault on a federal officer among other charges. A District of Columbia court heard charges related to Brady's shooting. Hinckley was ordered to be treated indefinitely at Washington's St. Elizabeth's Hospital. He remains there today.

Officials at the hospital said Hinckley had a mental illness that led him to believe shooting the president would impress actress Jodie Foster, then 18 years old, best known for her role as a teenage prostitute in "Taxi Driver."

Hinckley, now 59, has been allowed to leave the grounds only to visit his mother at nearby Williamsburg, Virginia. Hospital officials say Hinckley has been cured for decades.

Brady put his experience and drive in high gear over the years as he, and his wife Susan Brady, campaigned for gun control laws. His crusade translated into passage of The Brady Law calling for background checks and five-day waiting periods when buying handguns. The law went into effect in 1993. Additionally, the White House Press Room was renamed the James Brady Press Briefing Room in 2000.

Tagsjames brady, ronald reagan, John Hinckley Jr.