The man who shot and wounded Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stole her French bulldogs last year will have to spend the next 21 years in prison. James Howard Jackson (pictured below) took a plea deal and was sentenced yesterday.
The Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence, authorities have said. The motive was the value of the French bulldogs, a breed that can run into the thousands of dollars, and detectives do not believe the thieves knew the dogs belonged to the musician.
Jackson, one of 5 people who took part in the violent robbery and its aftermath, pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors say Jackson and two others drove around Hollywood, the city of West Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley on Feb. 24, 2021 “looking for French bulldogs.”
They found Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, with the pop star’s three pets.
Jackson shot Fischer during the robbery near the famed Sunset Boulevard, during which two of the dogs were taken. A nearby doorbell camera recorded the dog walker screaming “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!”
Fischer later called the violence a “very close call with death” in social media posts.
The dogs, named Koji and Gustav, were returned several days later by Jennifer McBride, who was also charged in the crime.
Photos courtesy of NY Daily News
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