‘I was beaten, strangled, shot and left to die, bleeding out on a sidewalk and gasping for my life.’
The man who shot Lady Gaga´s dog walker and stole her French bulldogs has been jailed for 21 years.
James Howard Jackson, one of three men and two accomplices who participated in the violent robbery last year, took a plea deal on Monday, pleading no contest to one count of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The 20-year-old drove around Hollywood on 24 February 2021 “looking for French bulldogs”, prosecutors said previously, and when they saw Lady Gag’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, decided to snatch her dogs.
The 41-year-old was walking the singer’s prized pooches, Asia, Koji and Gustav near Sunset Boulevard, while she was filming in Rome.
Jackson shot Fischer with a .40-caliber handgun at close range during the robbery, during which two of the dogs were taken.
A nearby doorbell camera recorded Fischer screaming ‘Oh, my God! I´ve been shot!’ and ‘Help me!’ and ‘I´m bleeding out from my chest!’ Fischer later lost part of a lung.
“I was beaten, strangled, shot and left to die, bleeding out on a sidewalk and gasping for my life,” Fischer told Jackson after flying to LA for the hearing, according to a RollingStone report. He added: “You shot me and left me to die, and both of our lives have changed forever.”
Lady Gaga’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed she had found them tied to a pole, and who inquired about the $500,000 reward if the dogs were returned “no questions asked.”
The woman was later charged with receiving stolen property and the father of another suspect is charged with helping him avoid arrest.
Authorities said Lady Gaga’s pets her not targeted due to her celebrity status, rather the thieves had targeted French bulldogs.
Jackson also admitted the allegation of inflicting great bodily injury and to a prior strike, the DA’s office said Monday.
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