Man who shot Lady Gaga's dog walker sentenced to 21 years

One of the three men, James Howard Jackson, 20, pleaded no contest to attempted murder.

One of the three men who shot and wounded Lady Gaga’s dog walker has been sentenced to 21 years in state prison, officials from the Los Angeles County District Attorney reported. The incident took place last year during the theft of the singer's two French bulldogs in Hollywood.

Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot and wounded in the incident that took place in February 2021.

The authorities also stated that the connection with Lady Gaga was more of a coincidence, as per Hollywood Reporter. The motive behind the crime was believed to be mainly on the value of the French bulldogs, that would yield thousands of dollars. James Howard Jackson, 20, pleaded no contest of attempted murder and “admitted the allegation of inflicting great bodily injury and to a prior strike” as part of a settlement, as was said in a statement from the DA's office. “The plea agreement holds Mr. Jackson accountable for perpetrating a coldhearted violent act and provides justice for our victim,” the office said in a statement.

Lady Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was walking the singer's three French bulldogs near Sunset Boulevard on February 24, 2021 when he was attacked and shot. The attackers then fled the scene and stole two of the dogs named Koji and Gustav. Ryan Fischer recounted the attack as a "close call with death" in his subsequent social media posts. He also made a court address which was later posted on Instagram. “It’s hard to believe that it’s nearing two years since I was taking Asia, Koji and Gustav out for an evening stroll when — in an instant — I suddenly found myself fighting with everything I had to protect those dogs from being stolen. But it wasn’t enough: I was beaten, strangled, shot and left to die bleeding out on a sidewalk and gasping for my life. And Koji and Gustav were gone.” the statement read.

The pop star had offered a $500,000 reward for the return of the dogs - "no questions asked." Jennifer McBride, who returned the dogs days later was also charged in the crime.

(With inputs from Reuters)