Lady Gaga hails dog walker as a ‘hero’ after shooting and theft in Hollywood
Pop musician Lady Gaga has broken her silence about the violent theft of her dogs and thanked her dog walker, Ryan Fischer, who was shot trying to protect them.
The “Chromatica” artist released an emotional statement on social media Friday after Fischer took a bullet to the chest and two attackers made off with her French bulldogs earlier this week. Fischer was in stable condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as of Thursday and is expected to recover.
“My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago,” Gaga shared on Twitter and Instagram, along with a sweet photo gallery of her pups. “My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return.
“Email KojiandGustav@gmail.com to contact us. Or, if you bought or found them unknowingly, the reward is the same. I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero.”
According to TMZ, the “A Star Is Born” actress was working on a film in Rome at the time of the attack. Her third bulldog managed to evade capture and has since been returned to caretakers employed by Gaga.
The canine robbery is under investigation by the LAPD, which has been on a mission to determine whether Fischer was targeted because the assailants knew the purebreds had a rich and famous owner.
“We’re looking into that, but right now we have nothing to show that that is the case,” LAPD Capt. Jonathan Tippet told The Times on Thursday. Police have been in contact with representatives for Gaga, who are cooperating with the investigation.
Video of a violent robbery in which Lady Gaga’s dog walker is shot shows the two purebred French bulldogs were clearly the target of the attackers.
Also involved in the ongoing search for Gaga’s pooches is actor Danny Trejo, who starred opposite the singer and actress in Robert Rodriguez’s 2013 action thriller “Machete Kills.” Trejo recently expressed support for his colleague and friend on social media and assured her, “we got people out there looking for them.”
Authorities declined to comment earlier this week on the hefty reward promised by Gaga’s team with “no questions asked.” The LAPD had no leads yet in the case when contacted Thursday by The Times but urged anyone with information about the crime to call robbery-homicide detectives at (213) 486-6840.
Times staff writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.
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