Lady Gaga's dog walker faced the man who mercilessly shot him two years ago to get the French bulldogs from him.
Ryan Fischer, the dog walker, had to recall the traumatizing event in his life to share how the man shot him in the chest and left him bleeding on a sidewalk.
On Monday, the victim confronted the gunman, James Howard Jackson, in a Los Angeles courtroom where the sentencing was read. The 20-year-old suspect pleaded no contest to the charges filed against him, including attempted murder with great bodily injury.
Fischer, as Rolling Stone quoted, said that the event changed their lives forever and noted that it was the "earth-shattering event" he experienced in his life. Lady Gaga was in Rome at the time of dognapping, where she was filming a movie. She also offered $500,000 reward for anyone who could return the dogs.
"I do forgive you. With the attack, you completely altered my life. I know I can't completely move on from the night you shot me until I said those words to you," he said before thanking him for returning the dogs. "They were returned and returned to their mom. I don't think I could have lived with myself if they died."
The dog walker suffered tremendously after the attack, enduring a collapsed lung after another collapse. Unfortunately, he lost part of a lung in order to survive.
He also went through several physical therapy sessions and lost his job and friends as he tried to recover.
Despite that, Fischer chose to show grace to Jackson.
He once shared his story for the first time in an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings. At that time, he thanked Lady Gaga for helping him out amid the trying times.
During the hearing, the court sentenced Jackson to 21 years imprisonment.
Why Did Dognapping Happen?
Before the recent sentencing, the Los Angeles Police clarified that Fischer was targeted not because he was working for the "Bad Romance" hitmaker but because the suspects wanted to steal the high-value French bulldogs.
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LA County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement that five people were arrested after the crime. Four of them are all documented gang members.
Earlier this year, Jackson was mistakenly released due to a clerical error. The County Sheriff's Department announced a reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to his arrest, and the suspect was soon recaptured.
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