Lady Gaga made headlines last year (but not for the usual reasons) when her dog walker was shot and two of her pups dognapped. A few suspects were quickly apprehended, but one has been freed from jail – albeit, by mistake.
19-year-old James Howard Jackson was accused of shooting Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, in a robbery case last year. According to ABC7, the suspect was “mistakenly” freed from jail last Wednesday after being held in police custody. LAPD booking records show that the charges against James Howard Jackson were also dismissed.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has stated that they are currently searching for the accused shooter. It is currently unknown how the charges against James Howard Jackson were dropped, and no details have been released regarding his accidental release.
James Howard Jackson was one of three men accused of several crimes in connection with the kidnapping of pop star Lady Gaga’s three French bulldogs. The exact charges included conspiracy to commit robbery, second-degree robbery, and attempted murder. Jackson was specifically accused of firing the shot that injured dog walker Ryan Fischer.
Fischer had been strolling down Sunset Boulevard with dogs Koji, Gustav, and Asia when an unmarked car pulled up alongside them. Footage of the incident shows two unidentified men leaping out of the vehicle and beginning an altercation with Fischer. One of the suspects drew a firearm and shot Ryan Fischer before grabbing Gustav and Koji.
Ryan Fischer required intense hospitalization, including treatment for a collapsed lung, as a result of the shooting. He left the hospital a month after the incident. His medical bills were paid by Lady Gaga.
The pop singer, who was in Rome shooting her iconic role in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci at the time of the incident, immediately offered a reward to the tune of half a million dollars in return for the safe delivery of her beloved pets. A then-unidentified woman returned Koji and Gustav to the police, but the LAPD discovered that she was dating the father of one of the alleged robbers. She has not been paid the reward, as the police are still determining her connection to the crime. It was later revealed that several of the arrestees were members of a Los Angeles gang.
Since the initial kidnapping, pet owners have reported an increased level of security for their furry friends, especially when it comes to French bulldogs. Several dog walking companies in the area began to arm their employees with self-defense tools like pepper spray, and many altered schedules to avoid possible kidnappings.
The search for James Howard Jackson is still ongoing in the Los Angeles area, so be sure to check back here on CinemaBlend for the latest updates.