The dog walker was shot once Wednesday night and is expected to survive his injuries, according to Los Angeles Police Capt. Jonathan Tippett, commanding officer of the department’s elite Robbery-Homicide Division. The man was walking three of Lady Gaga’s dogs at the time but one escaped. That dog has been recovered safely.
Tippett told The Associated Press that the dogs belong to pop star Lady Gaga. It’s not yet clear if the dog walker was targeted because of his celebrity client, the captain said.
Police have not publicly identified the man shot. But he was identified to KTLA as 30-year-old Ryan Fischer by his friend, Steven Lazarav.
Lazarav said Fischer has been taking care of Lady Gaga’s dogs for years.
“He’s an awesome guy,” he said. “Not a mean bone in his body.”
Lady Gaga is offering the reward for the return of her dogs — whose names are Koji and Gustav — with no questions asked, according to her representative. An email address for tips, KojiandGustav@gmail.com, has been set up. The singer is currently in Rome to film a movie.
Police were initially called to North Sierra Bonita Avenue, a street off the famed Sunset Boulevard, around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday following several 911 calls reporting a man screaming and the sound of a gunshot, said Capt. Steven Lurie, commanding officer of the department’s Hollywood Division.
Fischer was walking the dogs when a four-door Nissan Altima sedan pulled over and two men tried to steal the animals, police said.
The dog walker tried to fight them off and was shot by one of the men wielding a semiautomatic handgun during the struggle.
Buck Angel, who lives along the street, told KTLA he heard screaming “that wasn’t stopping.” As he opened his door to go out and see what was the matter, he heard a gunshot, he said.
Lazarav said Fischer was struck in the chest.
Police described one of the suspects as a Black man in his early 20s with blond dreadlocks. He was wearing a black hoodie and armed with a semiautomatic gun, police said.
The other was also a Black man in his early 20s wearing dark clothing, according to police.
French bulldogs can cost thousands of dollars. A woman in San Francisco was beaten in January at gunpoint and three men stole her gray French bulldog puppy named Chloe, Police said.
Anyone with information on the Hollywood incident can contact LAPD detectives Marsden and Brown at 213-486-6840, or call 877-527-3247 after normal business hours. Anonymous tips may be submitted via 800-222-8477