A suspect who was arrested in connection with the shooting of Lady Gaga's dog walker was released due to a clerical error, according to reports.
James Jackson, 19, who was being held for attempted murder, was released from the county's custody on Wednesday, April 6, KTTV reported, attributing its information to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The department called Jackson's sudden release "inadvertent."
Lady Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was walking three of Gaga's bulldogs in a residential area in Hollywood in February 2021 when a car pulled up alongside them and the suspects reportedly demanded he turn over the animals, police said in a statement.
Fischer was shot once by the assailants. They then drove off with two of the dogs, Gustavo and Koji, but the third, Asia, escaped and was safely returned home.
Lady Gaga announced a $500,000 reward for the return of the dogs and one of the suspects, Jennifer McBride, responded by turning them in two days after the theft. At the time, Los Angeles Police said the woman had found the dogs and "reached out to Lady Gaga’s staff to return them."
Captain Jonathan Tippet told The Associated Press that McBride appeared to be "uninvolved and unassociated" with the attack.
However, in April 2021 McBride and Jackson were arrested alongside Jaylin White, Lafayette Whaley and Harold White.
According to Variety, Jackson, White, and Whaley were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and second-degree robbery. Police said they targeted the bulldogs because of their high value and were unaware that Gaga was the owner.
Jackson was accused of being the gunman and faces additional charges of assault with a firearm and possession of a concealed firearm in a vehicle. White, who is the father of Jaylin, and McBride, are accused of acting as accessories. McBride is also charged with receiving stolen property, and Harold is accused of gun possession.
Jackson, Jaylin, Whaley, and Harold are believed to be gang members. McBride is reportedly in a relationship with Harold.
Jackson's next court date is scheduled for June 21, 2022.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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