A man who shot Lady Gaga’s dogwalker and stole her French bulldogs has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after taking a plea deal.
James Howard Jackson pled no contest on Monday to one count of attempted murder and admitted inflicting bodily injury, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.
Another man, Harold White, pled no contest to being an ex-convict in possession of a firearm and will be sentenced last year.
Prosecutors say Jackson was one of one of the three men responsible for the violent robbery on Sunset Boulevard last February, which caused dogwalker Ryan Fischer to be rushed to hospital.
The pop star’s involvement seems to have been a coincidence, with prosecutors saying the thieves did not know who owned the dogs and targeted them purely for their high value.
“The plea agreement holds Mr Jackson accountable for perpetrating a coldhearted violent act and provides justice for our victim,” said the district attorney’s office.
The shooting occurred on on 24 February 2021, when, according to officials, Jackson and his accomplices drove around Hollywood and other parts of Los Angeles looking for French bulldogs, which can fetch several thousand dollars when sold.
A doorbell camera recorded Mr Fischer shouting “oh my God! I’ve been shot!” and “help me!”. Mr Fischer survived, but later said on social media that it had been a “very close call with death.”
He also said that the aftermath of the shooting had left him “abandoned and unsupported”, with “long bouts of depression and doubt and self-pity”.
According toThe Associated Press, the dogs were returned several days later by a woman who was also charged with being part of the crime.
Lady Gaga had offered a $500,000 reward with “no questions asked” for the dogs’ safe return.
