Scott Ruffalo's death ruled a homicide

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office declared Wednesday that Scott Ruffalo's shooting death a homicide.

Ruffalo was the 39-year-old hairstylist brother of movie star Mark Ruffalo. He died Dec. 8 in a hospital, a week after he suffered a gunshot wound to the head in his Beverly Hills apartment.

The lawyer for a woman arrested in the shooting reportedly claimed Scott Ruffalo was a habitual drug user who shot himself playing the dangerous game of chance Russian roulette. She was later released from police custody and cleared in the case.

However, E! News quoted coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey as saying Wednesday that the office's findings suggest Ruffalo's wounds were not self-inflicted.

No other suspects have been publicly named since the woman was released, the entertainment news program said on its Web site.