July 20, 2022
$5K Reward for Suspect in Shooting of Lady Gaga's Dog Walker
Stefanie Dazio READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Federal authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for information about the man who allegedly shot Lady Gaga's dog walker last year in Hollywood and stole two of the pop star's French bulldogs. He was mistakenly released from custody in April and remains missing.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was one of five people arrested in connection the violent robbery in February 2021. He was facing an attempted murder charge when he was released from Los Angeles County's jail "due to a clerical error."
Detectives do not believe that the thieves initially knew the dogs belonged to the pop star, who was in Rome filming a movie at the time. The motive was supposedly the value of the French bulldogs – which can run into the thousands of dollars. The dogs were later returned by a woman who claimed she'd found them; she was later arrested and found to be in a relationship with another suspect's father.
U.S. Marshals, in a statement Monday, said Jackson should be considered armed and dangerous. The reward is for information that leads to his arrest. Authorities previously said Jackson is a documented gang member but have not provided additional information.