Lady Gaga offers $500K reward after dog walker shot, pets stolen
Lady Gaga is offering a US$500K reward for return of her French bulldogs, after the shock ambush and shooting of her dog walker on Wednesday night.
The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed the male, identified as Ryan Fischer, was walking three of the singer's dogs in Hollywood when he was shot and two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav, were taken. A third dog ran away but was recovered by police.
A spokesperson for the LAPD said the man was shot with a semi-automatic handgun during a robbery before 10 p.m. and transported to the hospital in stable condition.
A male suspect took the two bulldogs and fled the scene in a white sedan. The investigation is ongoing via LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division.
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Footage of the incident has since been released after a neighbour's camera captured the shooting, the Daily Mail reports.
A source close to Gaga— who just performed at Joe Biden's inauguration — told CNN she's offering "half-a-million dollars to anyone who has her two dogs, no questions asked. Anyone who has the dogs can use this email, KojiandGustav@gmail.com to retrieve the reward."
Her father, Joe Germanotta, described Ryan Fischer as "a family friend", calling on the public to "help us catch these creeps."
"Our whole family is upset and praying Koji and Gustavo are not harmed," he told Fox News.
The 'no questions asked' reward however is being slammed by some, who believe it could put the investigation at risk.
Former FBI Agent Frank Montoya Jr told Daily Mail: "It’s always been an option for opportunistic criminals. But…paying, no questions asked, can open up a Pandora’s box of sorts. She should give the investigation a chance."
The LAPD hasn't yet commented as to whether they believe Wednesday's attack was targeted and it's unclear whether the thieves knew the dogs belonged to Gaga.
One witness however, one of the people who raced to help the dog walker, said he '100 percent' believed that it was.
"I think 100 per cent targeted – for sure. First off because in this neighbourhood we have a lot of celebrities – it’s a celebrity neighbourhood, number one," he told Entertainment tonight.
"Number two, I walk my dog at 11 and 12 o’clock at night and it’s safe here, it’s totally chill. How would anyone know that [Fischer] was walking those dogs at [that exact time]. It's the perfect storm."
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