The woman arrested for allegedly firing an AR-15-style rifle at Rihanna's Los Angeles home had posted a string of hostile messages about the singer and rapper Drake on Facebook in the weeks leading up to the attack, according to law enforcement sources and social media records reviewed by multiple outlets.
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, Florida, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder after police say she opened fire on the singer's Beverly Crest mansion on Sunday, 8 March. Her bail has been set at $10,225,000 (£8.1 million). She remains in custody.
Rihanna was inside the property at the time. The LAPD confirmed that her partner, A$AP Rocky, and their three children were also home. No one was injured.
Facebook Posts Targeted Rihanna and Drake Before Shooting
On 23 February, a Facebook account belonging to Ortiz posted a message directly tagging Rihanna's Instagram handle, @badgalriri. The post accused the singer of 'sneaking around' and included a false claim that she had AIDS.
Six days earlier, on 17 February, the same account shared an image of Drake - Rihanna's former partner - with a caption claiming the rapper had learned Rihanna had the disease. The post included the hashtag '#champagnepapi,' Drake's well-known social media moniker, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Ortiz's fixation on the singer extended further back. In a YouTube video uploaded on 4 January titled 'Praying Woman's Journal, Day 39,' she called Rihanna 'a witch' and accused her of wanting to kill her. 'Listen Rihanna, when you die, God is taking me to my future,' she said in the clip, which ran for over an hour and was framed as a prayer session.
Rihanna was not the only celebrity named in Ortiz's posts. In one video, she addressed Cardi B directly. A December post mentioned Kim Kardashian in derogatory terms. Ortiz also filed an emergency court petition in October 2025 to block a Billie Eilish concert at the Kia Center in Orlando, claiming noise-related harm. The case was dismissed.
How the Rihanna Shooting Unfolded in Beverly Crest
The shooting took place at approximately 1.20 p.m. on Sunday. According to LAPD dispatch audio reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, at least 10 shots were fired from a white Tesla parked across the street from the property's front gate on Coldwater Canyon Drive.
Multiple rounds struck the exterior of the home and its front gate. Video from the scene showed bullet holes covered with tape on the gate. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed that an assault rifle and seven shell casings were recovered from Ortiz's vehicle.
An LAPD helicopter tracked the Tesla to the Sherman Oaks Galleria shopping centre, roughly eight miles from Rihanna's home. Ortiz was taken into custody about 30 minutes after the initial 911 call.
One neighbour told KTLA they were stunned by the gunfire. 'I was a little shocked. We don't hear that kind of thing in this neighbourhood,' the resident said.
Ortiz's Criminal Record and Background
Ortiz is a licensed speech pathologist originally from Illinois who has been living in Orlando. It remains unclear when she arrived in Los Angeles or how she obtained the weapon.
Florida court records show she was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and battery in 2023 and on suspicion of careless driving in 2021, according to Rolling Stone.
Police have not established a motive for the attack. LAPD detectives from the Robbery Homicide Division are leading the investigation, which includes a full review of Ortiz's social media activity. Her arraignment date is expected to be announced on Tuesday.
Rihanna, 38, shares three children with A$AP Rocky - RZA, Riot Rose, and their youngest, Rocki Irish Mayers, born in September 2025. A source told People that the singer was 'okay' following the incident.
It is not the first security threat at one of Rihanna's properties. In 2018, a man broke into a different home belonging to the singer in the Hollywood Hills and spent 12 hours inside before being arrested.
