Former White House Press Secretary James Brady, his son Scott Brady and wife Sarah Brady visit the press briefing room that bears his name in the West Wing of the White House with current Press Secretary Jay Carney March 30, 2011 in Washington, DC. Brady was visiting the White House on the 30th anniversary of the day he was shot in the head by John Hinckley, Jr., during his attempted assassination former President Ronald Reagan March 30, 1981. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

James Brady’s death has been ruled a homicide, detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department declared today.

In 1981, the Former White House Press Secretary and noted gun control advocate was shot in the head during an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. The bullet left him paralyzed on the left side of his body and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Brady passed away on Monday, August 4. A medical examiner declared that the cause of death was due to injuries sustained from the gunshot wound in 1981 and thus the manner of death is being ruled a homicide.

“We are heartbroken to share the news that our beloved Jim ‘Bear’ Brady has passed away after a series of health issues,” his family said in a statement at the time of his death. “Jim touched the lives of so many and has been a wonderful husband, father, friend and role model. We are enormously proud of Jim’s remarkable accomplishments.”

According to MPD, Brady’s death brings the number of homicides in D.C. for 2014 to 71.