Lady Gaga’s dogwalker was shot after thugs ‘prowled Hollywood looking for expensive dogs to steal’, prosecutor says
Lady Gaga’s dogwalker Ryan Fischer was shot by the dognappers. (Getty/Instagram)
The three men accused of stealing Lady Gaga’s dogs had no idea who they belonged to, prosecutors claim.
In February, Ryan Fischer, dog walker and family friend to Lady Gaga, was left bleeding in Hollywood after a group of men shot him and took two of Gaga’s three French bulldogs.
James Jackson, 18, Jaylin White, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, were later apprehended in April on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery.
A felony complaint filed last Thursday (29 April) by prosecutors claims that the trio drove around in a sedan on the day of the shooting “looking for French bulldogs”, the Associated Press reported.
The three men stumbled upon Fischer, completely unaware that the dogs he was walking were owned by Gaga, prosecutors said.
They tailed him as he strolled along Sunset Boulevard with dogs Asia, Koji and Gustav, waiting with their vehicle lights switched off for Fischer to walk along a “secluded side street”, the paperwork added.
Jackson and White then allegedly leapt out of the white car and attacked Fisher. A scuffle ensued, where they both struck and gagged the dog walker, which ended when Jackson allegedly fired at Fisher with a semi-automatic gun.
Nearby doorbell cameras captured the unnerving moment that Fischer can be heard screaming: “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!
“I’m bleeding out from my chest!”
Lady Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer detailed the extent of his injuries in an Instagram video. (Screen captures via Instagram/@saintrocque)
Gaga later confirmed that she was offering a hefty $500,000 award for the dogs’ safe return, “no questions asked”.
This is when White’s father, Harold White, 40, and his partner Jennifer McBride, 50, allegedly became involved in the plot.
Prosecutors claim that the couple sought to help White avoid arrest while McBride returned the dogs to the authorities on 26 February to claim the money.
At the time, she told cops she found the dogs tied to a street pole.
Initially, detectives said they did not believe McBride was involved in the robbery. She has since been charged for receiving stolen property valued above $950 as well as one count of being an accessory in the situation.
Jail records obtained by the news agency claim that White is held on a $1 million bail. Jackson is held on just more than $3 million and Whaley’s bond is $1 million.
Both the elder White and McBride have been released from jail, pending their next court appearance. All suspects have pleaded not guilty.
