The alleged shooter in the attempted murder of Lady Gaga’s dog walker was released from jail Wednesday in an apparent mistake, online jail records show.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was sprung from custody at 3:38 p.m. Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website states, listing the reason for the release as his case had been “dismissed.”
A sheriff’s spokesman had no immediate comment late Thursday. Attempts to reach the Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney on the case, Michele Hanisee, were not immediately successful Thursday night.
Sources told NBC Los Angeles that the release was related to an administrative error stemming from an issue where the initial case was meant to be replaced by a new one.
It was at a hearing last month that prosecutors discussed the need to file a new case due to a technicality involving the charges against at least one co-defendant in Jackson’s indictment, Harold White.
Jackson had been in custody for nearly a year and was being held in lieu of more than $3 million bail before his release.
At a secret grand jury proceeding last October, Hanisee told grand jurors that Jackson shot Gaga’s dogwalker Ryan Fischer the night of Feb. 24, 2021 because Fischer refused to hand over the pop star’s three French bulldogs.
She said Jackson was with co-defendants Jaylin White and Lafayette Whaley when the trio targeted Fischer and the three dogs due to the value of the breed. She said there was no evidence the men knew the dogs belonged to the superstar singer.